Astral Dancer: The Untold Stories
by Aynslesa
Summary: NEW: The Moon Terror. Read the story of what happened after the War of 63. Do NOT read if you haven't read part 10 of Astral Dancer yet.
1. The Secret Stone

The Emerald Saga #1

The Secret Stone

Prologue

My name is Marco. 

I can't tell you my last name or where I live. It's too dangerous. If the Yeerks knew my last name, they'd be able to track me down, and then they'd get my friends, and then –

Oops. Sorry. Habit. Let me start again.

My name is Marco Sinclair. I'm 14 years old (well, actually, I'm about 47, but we'll just not go into that). I look fourteen. Let's just leave it at that.

I used to be what we called an Animorph. I suppose I still am – I mean, I can still change into any animal I can touch, but it's no longer a big necessity. Not after we got transported to the future and I became a member of the Tactics Department of the Andalite-Animorph Alliance, otherwise known as the AAA. And this was fine. Then I met Cat.

From there on out, everything turned upside-down. I mean, I guess it never really was right-side up after I found out that I was psychic (another incredibly long story), but when I met Cat, my life changed again. Turns out that I'm actually this guy called the Emerald Guardian. I have to keep my identity a secret – this time from everyone – and not only do I have to save the world, but I have to save the universe, too. No big deal.

Yeah. Right.

After taking a two-month hiatus in the Dimension 522114751291514, I'm back in my own world fighting evil space slugs from taking over people's minds. Of course, there's another problem that my friends aren't even aware of. One that is seriously getting hard to control.

Chapter One

"Yeah, Jake, everything's cool around here," Marco said, cradling the phone between his shoulder and his neck. "No, I'm not saying that just to make you feel better." He caught a glimpse of something in the mirror and added, "Listen, I'm filling in for someone's shift in a few minutes. I gotta go. I'll call you back, okay?" He grinned. "'Bye, Jake." He hung up the phone.

"Don't you ever knock?" He spun around and slammed his fist into the gnarled face of one of the ugliest Darkstars he'd ever seen. "Man, don't you guys ever take a shower?" he demanded. 

The Darkstar snarled at Marco, who just stood there calmly. Then, before it got up, Marco picked his pendant up off his dresser, aimed it at the intruder and said, "_Enutfor gnimiss eth dna Ytkris._" He closed his eyes to shield them from the bright green light, then opened them.

"I need a vacation," he groaned as he looped the emerald pendant around his neck and collapsed onto his bed.

You look exhausted, Marco, commented T'auk-Emanel-Cooraf, one of Marco's closest friends. In fact, T'auk had become Marco main confidant since Jake had transferred to Sydney, Australia. 

Marco slid into his chair and blinked. "Really? I wouldn't know. I just took a five hour nap."

"Then that would explain why you didn't go on your shift," Rachel Lansing said, coming over and sitting down at their table. "I had to cover for you – again. Here." She handed him an orange. "Eat this. You look like you could use the Vitamin C."

Marco took the fruit gratefully. "Is there even Vitamin C in this thing?" he asked, shoving a slice into his mouth. "Come on, T'auk, you work in the science department – you must know what they put in this stuff."

T'auk laughed. Hey, I'm just a technician. I don't work in Food Development, and I have no plans of doing so anytime in the future.

"Is Marco making comments about the food again?" Tobias O'Connor asked as he and Rachel's nephew Geoff joined them. He kissed Rachel's cheek and took the seat next to her. "If he is, warn me now. I'm starving, and I don't think it would be a good thing for me to lose my appetite."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Tobias. Anyway, I don't think they have anything in your taste – they're fresh out of barbecued mouse."

A general 'Ew' rose up from the group. Marco grinned. "Mission accomplished." He stood up, taking the orange with him. "I better go find Galuit and apologize."

"While you're at it, set up an appointment with Coalmeer," Rachel suggested. "Just in case this is a virus or something. The last thing we need is you getting sick on us."

Marco shrugged noncommittally. He had no intention of going to see the AAA's head doctor. His problem wasn't the flu or a cold.

It was exhaustion, plain and simple.

Walking out of the cafeteria, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. No wonder they think I'm sick, he thought. I look like a member of the Walking Dead.

Then he froze. 

The jewel around his neck was glowing brightly, and visible through his uniform. Marco quickly reached up and pulled the chain off, clenching the emerald in his hand.

"What now?" he muttered as he ran for his room.

He slammed the door closed behind him. "All right, what do you want?" he demanded, thankful that the walls were soundproof. 

"Ow," a voice behind him complained. "Warn me next time."

Marco spun around. "Xellos," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's you. What are you doing here?"

The Obsidian Guardian smiled from where he was floating over Marco's bed. "What, a guy can't come and see how someone he almost died with is doing?"

Marco rolled his eyes. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, Metallium."

"Okay, okay," Xellos said, laughing. "Actually, I heard that you were having some major Darkstar trouble recently. How're you holding up?"

The Emerald Guardian sat down on one of his chairs. "It's been rough," he admitted. "I've been back for almost a month, and things have been bad. Darkstars are even making their way into my room. I've trapped a least a fourth of my statistics within the AAA base itself."

Xellos opened his eyes and looked surprised. "Really? Didn't you put the protection spell I taught you on this place?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah. And guess what – it's not protecting."

His friend frowned. "Well, I haven't heard of any other Darkstar surges in the other dimensions – but then, I've been following around a certain fiery sorceress and trying to fix her up with a certain pessimistic chimera."

Marco groaned. "Xellos, why don't you just back off? I'm sure having you play matchmaker won't get those two together."

Xellos shook his head. "You don't understand, Marco. Without my help, they'll _never_ figure it out.

"But right now, I suppose I can take a break from that and help out here."

"Help out?" Marco repeated. "I've got the whole thing under control. I'm exhausted, but it's under control."

Xellos nodded. "But it won't be soon – unless we figure out _why_ this is happening."

"Huh?" 

"Marco, Darkstars don't come to a dimension unless they have a reason."

You up there somewhere, Xellos?

Right above your head, Marco. If you look up, you'll see a falcon whose feathers are tinged slightly purple. I'm using his eyes.

And where's the rest of you?

Hiding in your closet.

Good Mazoku. Make sure you stay there. I don't want to have to explain to Rachel or Galuit why there's an unfamiliar man with purple hair running around with his eyes closed. See anything suspicious?

Nothing. Except . . . what in the world is that thing?

What thing?

It's by the cafeteria. It's humanoid, but it's made completely out of metal. And it's walking. It resembles one of my master's pet wolves, actually. And it's not radiating _any_ negative feelings at all. It's unnatural!

It took Marco a moment to realize what Xellos was describing. Then he had to stifle a laugh, since it would look extremely nuts if he burst into laughter in the middle of the courtyard when he was seemingly not holding a conversation with someone. Xellos, that's a Chee. They're androids, and complete and utter pacifists. They're not programmed to fight. Trust me, if you lived in a society with only them, you wouldn't last a minute.

Xellos grumbled something about how stifling pacifists were, then signed off the mental communication. The falcon flew in a circle, then soared away. He'd changed eyes. 

"Marco Sinclair, report to the bridge immediately. Commander's orders."

"What now?" moaned Marco as he took off at top speed. When the Commander called, you went.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Marco asked as he walked as fast as he dared into the bridge.

Galuit turned from where he was watching the main screen and looked with all four eyes at Marco. Yes, I did. You missed your shift today, Marco.

Marco bit his lip. "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I just haven't gotten much sleep lately. I lay down for five minutes, and sleep for two hours. Sorry. Do you want me to do double shifts this week to make up for it?"

Galuit shook his head. I want you to take a break. Relax for a couple weeks. I don't know what happened when you disappeared, Marco – and you know I haven't asked many questions. But if it starts interfering with your AAA responsibilities . . .

"I understand, sir," Marco said, nodding emphatically. "Don't worry – I can take care of it. I probably won't even need a couple weeks of leave. A few days should suffice. Don't worry about a thing."

Good, Galuit said. Then I'll see you back here in two weeks.

Marco nodded, saluted, then walked quickly out the doors. Now I've got Galuit on my case. I hope Xellos' come up with something.

"Find anything?" 

This was question directed at Marco as he slipped into his room. Xellos was floating over his bed again, looking quite comfortable for someone who had supposedly spent the last two hours in the back of Marco's closet. 

"I thought you were hiding," Marco said wearily. He trooped into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. Then he reached into the closet and pulled out a couple of towels. "Never mind. Listen, if anybody knocks, pretend to be me, okay? I'm taking a shower."

"And what if someone asks who's in the shower?" Xellos demanded. 

"Tell them you were just about to get in. Don't let them in the room. Got it?"

"Got it – Marco?"

"Yeah?"

Xellos calmly pointed at the Emerald hanging around Marco's neck. "Better postpone that shower. We've got Darkstar activity."

"Aw, man."

Marco almost groaned again when he realized just which _area_ Darkstar activity was in. 

"We're less than a mile from the Yeerk base," he muttered. "If someone sees us . . ."

"They'll run in the other direction," Xellos interrupted. "We're Guardians, remember? We can handle a couple of these Controllers. Don't forget, we can tell who's an enemy and who isn't."

"Oh, yeah," Marco realized, looking sheepish at having to be reminded of his own power. "The whole psychic bit."

"The whole psychic bit," agreed Xellos. He smiled slightly and laughed softly.

"What?"

"You humans certainly have a strange way of speaking in this dimension," Xellos said. "And I thought Amelia was bad."

Marco tried to look indignant. "What do you mean, strange way of speaking? This is perfectly . . ."

Again Xellos interrupted him. "Shhh." This time he stopped suddenly and opened his eyes. "Astral energy at ten o' clock."

"Guardian or Darkstar?"

"No gem," said Xellos. "Darkstar."

Now Marco's alarms were going off. "I sense him," he whispered. "Let's see if we can take him down without activation."

Xellos nodded in agreement. Activating their power would just tire them out, and perhaps call some unwanted attention. "There's more than one."

"Great," said the Emerald Guardian. "One for you and one for me."

But Xellos didn't find anything funny. His eyes were just a little better than Marco's – he could see the Darkstars now. "Try ten for you and ten for me," he said shakily. And it took a lot to shake Xellos.

"What?"

"Get _down!_" Xellos shouted as the closest Darkstar attacked.

Marco barely had time to duck as a large Darkstar hurtled itself at his head. He hit the ground and rolled, then climbed to his feet and found himself face-to-face with a snarling werewolf. "Oh, yuck," he said, gasping from the stench. "Haven't you ever heard of dental hygiene?" 

Xellos glanced back. "That guy's from my world," he said. "Looks like he might be part troll – they heal fast. Watch out."

The werewolf snarled and jumped at Marco. "Now you tell me!" Marco gasped, ducking again and slamming his elbow into the small of the werewolf's back. "_Redsituo eht!_" he shouted, pulling the Darkstar into the Emerald. Immediately another one took its place. "Xellos!" 

"I'm kind of busy!" was the answering shout. There was the sound of a Darkstar being contained, then the sound of Xellos swearing as another one jumped him.

"That's it!" Marco snarled. "Ix-nay on the activation-hay!"

"I don't know what you just said, but I've had it," Xellos agreed. "Power of Obsidian, Come Into My Hand!" 

"Power of Emerald, Come Into My Hand!" Marco echoed. Two brilliant lights flashed, and suddenly the Darkstars realized that they weren't attacking normal people.

"Guardians," hissed a large bat. "Kill the Guardians."

"Ain't you a regular Einstein?" snapped Marco. He twirled his Staff dull end up and slammed it into the bat's chest. Black blood oozed out, but the bat continued to try and slash at him. "Lightning!"

A disgusting stench rose from the corpse. "Crispy fried bat wings," Marco couldn't help commenting. "Just the way I like them."

The other seventeen suddenly decided that they'd had enough. "Let's get out of here," one of them shouted. "No Summoning Stone is worth all this trouble!"

They disappeared in a flash.

Marco glanced at Xellos. "Too easy?" He frowned. "You okay?"

Xellos was white as a ghost. "The Summoning Stone?" he whispered. 

"What's the Summoning Stone?" Marco asked as they made their way back to the AAA base. 

Xellos sighed. "I thought it was just a myth," he said. "Something passed through Mazoku history, and apparently, Darkstar history as well."

"But what _is_ it?"

"The Summoning Stone was said to have immense power, ranking right up there to the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Some say they were even part of the same source. Anyway, the qualities in it are so great and the power is so fierce, that the only ones capable of using it are creatures made purely of magic."

"Such as Mazoku and Darkstars," Marco cut in.

Xellos nodded. "Now, Mazoku and Darkstar have changed rapidly, although centuries ago we used to be almost identical. We Mazoku can no longer trace the Summoning Stone. But it's possible that the Darkstars still can. And if the Summoning Stone is indeed on this planet . . ."

"Then the Darkstars are after it, and _that's_ why so many of them have shown up around here," finished Marco.

"Exactly."

"Xellos, what are you saying here? How much trouble will we be in if the Darkstars find this stone?"

Xellos turned and looked straight at Marco. "If the Darkstars get the Summoning Stone and tap into its power? Let's just say that if that happens, you won't have much of a dimension left to protect."

Deep within Yeerk Command . . . 

Soon, the Summoning Stone will be mine. Then I won't have to hide within this pitiful body.

__

Good riddance. And just who exactly are you calling pitiful?

Who do you think? At any rate, I wouldn't be so eager to get rid of me. Don't forget, you were dying before I took over this mind. You and me, we're symbiotes whether you like it or not.

__

If that's true, then you need me to live.

Until I get the Summoning Stone. Then I'll be healed, and you'll be left to rot. And another overzealous Yeerk Councilmember will take your place. 

__

Bastard.

Chapter Two

The nice thing about vacation is that you get to have a lot of downtime to yourself. You know what I mean? Back before I met Elfangor and knew there was other life out there in the deep, dark reaches of universe, vacation meant no school, good things on television, and a cold soda in the fridge. 

Then I got wrapped in the Animorph deal, and vacation meant whenever I wasn't running around screaming and trying to save the lives of people I didn't know.

Now vacation means when I don't have to pull a shift in the bridge or go out on patrol. 

Of course, that changes, too. Now, vacation also means I have to stop doing one job and start doing to other. And both means saving the world.

I need a vacation.

Exhaustion. Most people don't think it's such a big deal, but if it's not dealt with quickly, it can actually kill a person. 

Marco knew this, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He was, however, taking a much deserved relaxation.

In his short career thus far of being the Emerald Guardian, Marco Sinclair had been to the Emerald Lair maybe twice. Both times for quick visits and a chance to catch up on some reading. Aside from protecting his dimension, he was also entrusted with keeping track of the stages of development in other dimensions. If a new dimension was formed, it was his job to devise a gem to guard it. Then Xellos, as the Obsidian Guardian, would go track down the first master of the gem. It wasn't something that happened often.

This time, though, Marco was just hanging out. The sudden revelation of the Summoning Stone being on his planet wasn't helping his nerves much, and it felt good to get away from the busy hustle of the AAA base. Very good, in fact. 

Suddenly feeling restless, he jumped off the couch in the vast recreation room and walked towards the communications chamber. Being one of the First Five (one of the five Guardians who answered to the Astral Dancer and the Astral Dancer only), his Lair had a perfect view of the Diamond Lair.

But Cat wasn't there, he knew that. Last he heard, she off in some dimension tracking down the newest Guardian for his dimension, who just happened to be about a thousand years too late. I hate to think what a mess that place was in without him, thought Marco.

The next Lair was the Jasper Lair. No sign of Kaoru, but then Marco hadn't really gotten to know the Angel. He knew Kyra kept in touch with him occasionally, but mostly the guy kept to himself. The Jasper Lair was dark that cycle.

Over in the Onyx Lair, every light was blazing. Obviously Kyra had needed some downtime as well. Briefly he considered going over for a visit, then decided against it. Being around Kyra reminded him too much of Elysia, which reminded him of his mother. Nope, didn't need that.

He didn't bother checking the Obsidian Lair – he knew Xellos was off checking up on his little group in his own dimension right then.

Marco frowned, noticing for the first time the fifth Lair. It was dark, darker than the Jasper Lair. He couldn't even tell what sort of gem it was, but it looked like a Guardian hadn't been there for cycles. "I wonder if it belongs to a Guardian who's dimension died," he murmured.

He didn't get much time to think about it – at that moment the alarms went off. "Here we go again. Emerald!" 

Marco found himself standing in the shadow of one of the buildings in the AAA base. "What am I doing here?" he muttered. "I'm supposed to be where the trouble – dammit!" 

He'd just caught sight of the trouble. There, right in the middle of the courtyard, was definitely a Darkstar. This Darkstar had apparently been a unicorn before it sold itself out. And he looked angry.

"Damage control," muttered Marco. "I can't play around with this." Then, groaning, he realized the AAA forces were already trying to corral the ticked-off unicorn. "No, guys, don't get involved," he whispered. "Power of Emerald, Come Into My Hand."

Thank the Ellimist for face masks, he thought as he ran full-force to the sight of the problem. Thanks to the way the Guardian armor was designed, unless they saw him transform, no one would know it was him. And in a crowd of people he knew personally, this was a good thing.

"Fireball!" he shouted, casting the spell at once. He didn't aim it at the Darkstar – instead he positioned it over the crowd's heads. Everyone started yelling and running. 

"No one move!" a familiar voice shouted. Xellos appeared above the crowd. "Don't move," he said again for good measure. Turning to Marco, he called, "You want to take care of this?"

Marco was already concentrating. "Come here, little pony," he said through clenched teeth. The unicorn tossed its head and glared at him defiantly. "Hey, horse!" 

The unicorn pointed its horn straight at Marco's heart. "Uh oh," he muttered.

"_Laof tsol eht!_" Xellos reacted instantly, calling the unicorn into the Obsidian gem. The four-legged creature didn't stand a chance. 

Xellos floated to a stop next to Marco and looked around. "Well," he said. "That was easy." The whole crowd was staring at them. "Why don't we get out of here? Obsidian or Emerald?"

"At this point, I don't care," answered Marco. "But I think we're going to need back up."

"Right. Onyx Lair it is."

Kyra stared at her two friends. "Okay. So what you're saying is that there's a Summoning Stone somewhere on Marco's planet. It's bringing Darkstars by the dozen, and they're making their way into the AAA base, _despite_ the protection spell the two of you wove."

"Right," Marco said. "I came _this close_ to having my identity revealed today, Kyra. Xellos and I need back-up. So we came to you."

Kyra sighed. "Can I just point out one important fact to you boys before your hormones send you completely over the edge?"

Xellos narrowed his eyes. "Watch it, Kyra."

She ignored him, just like she always did when he told her to watch it. 

"What is it?" Marco humored her.

"The Summoning Stone _doesn't exist!_" she shouted. "It's a _myth!_ A total and complete _myth!_"

Xellos shrugged. "That's what they said, Kyra. I can't change what I heard."

"Kyra," Marco cut in. "In my world, people thought aliens were just a myth. Now my world is being invaded by parasites who want to enslave humanity. In Xellos' world, people didn't believe in magic. Now everybody and his uncle knows magic on some level."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far," Xellos interrupted, but he was silenced quickly by glares from both camps. 

"What I'm trying to say," Marco continued, "is that just because you've never seen something, doesn't mean it isn't really there. Even if the Summoning Stone hasn't been seen for years and no one living remembers it – it could still exist."

Kyra stared at him. Then she sighed. "You make a good point. Where'd you come up with that – the back of a cereal box?"

Marco shook his head. "_The Santa Clause_. Excellent movie starring Tim Allen."

"I've seen it," Kyra said nodding. "I like the Bernard the elf."

Xellos shook his head. "You're _both_ nuts."

"Just like old times, huh?" Kyra asked, glancing over at her two companions. "Any luck?"

Marco shook his head. "Nothing. I'm not picking up anything."

Xellos sighed. "This could be a big waste of time. We don't even know how big this stone is. For all we know, it could be the size of a pebble and stuck ten feet underground."

"Look, just keep your eyes peeled for Darkstars," Kyra said. "A large gathering could signify something."

Marco nodded and calmly returned to scanning. "I'm picking up a few scattered, but nothing near populated areas. And there's one within Yeerk parameters – whoa. Whoa. _WHOA!_"

"What?" Xellos phased in closer to him. "Did you find it?"

"Did you find the stone?" echoed Kyra.

Marco shook his head. "No. But I picked up a familiar Darkstar."

"Who?" Kyra asked. "And if you say Lothos, I'll ring your neck."

"Not Lothos," he said. "Gryphon."

Chapter Three

__

One hour later . . . 

"Gryphon," whispered Kyra. She leaned back and lay on the second bed in Marco's room. "I thought he died, back in the explosion when we first tangoed with Lothos."

"None of us actually _saw_ him die," Marco pointed out. "He just sort of disappeared. We were so focused on Cat and Lothos, we didn't pay much attention at all."

Xellos growled deep in his throat. "I should've known he'd pull something like this. He's probably got himself disguised as a Controller and is working on infiltrating the Yeerks as we speak."

"No way!" Marco cried. "Nine would figure it out in an instant. It's a member of the Council of Thirteen – it's sharp. And it's dealt with Gryphon before."

"Nevertheless," Xellos pointed out, "Gryphon is here. And it's up to us to stop him."

"Maybe we should call in the big guns for this," Marco muttered. "Who's up for tracking down Cat?"

Xellos shook his head. "Wouldn't work. We don't have any idea where she is, and besides, we can't just go running to her whenever we've got a problem. We need to handle this ourselves."

"Then I'm open for suggestions," said Marco. "Remember, you two, this is riding on _me_. _My_ neck. We lose this, you two get a warning. Me? I'd hate to think of what the Council does to Guardians who end up losing their dimensions after a few months of service."

"Has anybody really considered the big picture here?" Kyra spoke up suddenly. "What would the odds be that Gryphon and the Summoning Stone are connected?"

Marco looked at Xellos.

"Considering Gryphon's past record?" Xellos opened his eyes briefly and locked his gaze on them. "Very good odds."

"Rachel!"

Rachel spun around and looked at Marco. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "You're on leave. You're not supposed to be anywhere near the bridge!"

"Look, Rach, it's important," Marco said, coming to a stop next to her.

"Don't call me Rach," she snarled. 

"_Rachel_," Marco snarled back. "Just listen to me for one minute, and answer my question honestly."

Rachel sighed. "You have one minute."

"Has there been any activity from Nine recently?"

She looked at him skeptically. "What are you, dense? Of course not. We haven't heard a peep out of Nine since you took off on your little adventure for two months."

"You're sure?"

"You asked a question, I answered it honestly," snapped Rachel. "One minute's up, and I'm late meeting Tobias. See ya."

Marco stared after her. "Thanks for nothing," he muttered.

Marco, it's Kyra. Xellos and I are at the lookout point, near the Yeerk base. You need to see this.

I'm on my way.

Marco stared down at the Yeerk base. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

A large astral barrier was wrapped around the entire complex. Unable to be seen by any non-psychic, it wouldn't keep out your average person. But those gifted with _El Vision Segunda_ would be destroyed the minute they attempted to step through. Chances are, with the strength of the field, whoever it was wasn't afraid of normal psychics. 

They were most likely expecting Guardians.

"Gryphon?" he asked.

Xellos nodded. "Most likely. He is strong enough."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," muttered Kyra. "Just out of curiosity, Xellos, do you ever bring good news?"

He thought for a moment. "Nope." 

"You're really annoying, you know that?" asked Marco.

"Yup. I've been told that several times. Particularly by a feisty young golden dragon priestess."

"We're _not_ going there," said Kyra. "So what do we do now?"

Marco narrowed his eyes. "It's Gryphon all right. And I don't think the three of us can handle this. We're going to need to get in there, and we can't do that with that barrier up. We need someone who can get in there and distract the source long enough for us to slip past. Gryphon's gotta be pretty focused to keep it up."

"So we need an outsider," Xellos mused. "The Council won't like it."

"The Council will never have to know," Kyra pointed out. "We're part of the First Five. We don't answer to anyone but Cat."

"Do you have anyone in mind, Marco?" 

Marco nodded thoughtfully. "As a matter of fact – I do."

The biggest thing the Astral Council pounds into your head when you become a Guardian is that secrecy is the most important link in the entire chain. 

Okay, that's understandable. Tell the wrong person, and you could have Darkstars breathing over you when you're asleep. The way I figured, though – I _already_ had Darkstars breathing over me when I'm asleep. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I just hope T'auk doesn't think I'm completely cuckoo.

Is that him? That blue thing over there?

It's called an Andalite, Xellos. Repeat after me: An. Da. Lite. An. Da. Lite. 

Would you both just shut-up already? That's not him – he's too old. That's Breeyar. Watch out for him. He knows _everybody_ in this base – he'll know you're not from around here.

I think I'm blending in rather well.

Xellos, you have purple hair and you never open your eyes. You never blend in well.

Xellos muttered something incoherent, then broke the connection. Marco shook his head and glanced at the butterfly perched on his wrist. He going to be all right on his own, Kyra?

I think Xellos can take care of himself. It's not as if he's a total stranger here, you know.

Marco nodded, then caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "All right, Kyra. That's him. I'm going in."

Good luck.

"T'auk, can I speak to you for a minute?" Marco asked, calling his friend over. "It's important."

The young Andalite jogged over quickly. What's wrong?

"Not here." Marco looked around. "In here." He grabbed T'auk's arm and pulled him into an alley not far from the science building. "I need your help, T'auk."

T'auk looked at him quizzically. With what? I thought you were on leave.

"I am. This isn't related to the AAA."

Well, what do you need help with?

Marco told him.

T'auk stared at the two people who were hanging out in Marco's room, which he had just walked into.

One appeared to be about twenty, with shoulder-length purple hair. He didn't know what color his eyes were – they were closed. The other one seemed a couple years younger than Marco, with brown hair that was pulled back away from her face and done up so you couldn't tell how long it was. Both were involved in a heated argument about somebody named Stone-boy and Lina-chan. 

These are your friends? T'auk asked Marco. The . . . Guardians?

"Obsidian and Onyx," the purple-haired man said, cutting off the girl's sentence. "You must be T'auk."

"T'auk, this is Xellos, and that's Kyra. Don't mind them, they're temporarily insane," Marco said, introducing them. 

"Temporarily?" muttered Kyra, casting a sidelong glance at Xellos. 

Xellos opened one eye and glared at her, then focused on T'auk. "Did Marco tell you what we wanted you do to?"

Basically, you want me to break into the Yeerk compound, hunt down a stone that you have no clue as to what it looks like, grab it, then leave without running into some nut-job named Gryphon. Right? 

Xellos glanced at Marco. "I wouldn't put it quite that way, but since I get the feeling you're quoting Marco here – right. That's exactly what I want you to do."

T'auk nodded. Okay, then. When do we start?

I think I like this kid, Marco.

Chapter Four

Ready, T'auk?

T'auk knew better than to scan the forest for Marco. He had no doubt that his friend was watching him from somewhere, in one of his many morphs. But it would be very obvious if he looked around. He had to act the part of a human-Controller, and that meant being as rigid and unfeeling as possible. 

They'd abducted a young Controller during his patrol, and T'auk had acquired him. Then, with the information Kyra had pulled from his mind, T'auk would now have to pretend to be the Controller. They couldn't afford to wait three days for the Yeerk in the kid's head to shrivel up and die.

Okay. Listen, Kyra's going to guide you as best as she can. She'll be using your eyes to see what's going on. She'll report back to me, and I'll waylay it to you. Got it?

He nodded ever so slightly.

Good luck, then, Marco said. And T'auk? Be careful.

T'auk smiled slightly. Then he steeled himself and walked towards the base entrance.

"How do you think he'll do?" Xellos asked, coming up behind Marco as they watched T'auk go into the base. 

Marco shook his shaggy gray head and sighed. I don't know. We don't know what Gryphon's plan is. But T'auk's resourceful. He can handle it.

Suddenly Xellos frowned. "Can he handle it without you for a bit?"

Why?

"You're Emerald is going nuts. We've got Darkstars."

Marco groaned and began to morph back to human. Kyra, handle things from here. We'll be back as soon as possible.

Be careful.

"What time is it?" Marco asked.

"Nine-thirty in the evening," Xellos replied.

"What time did you pick up that Darkstar?" 

"Eight o' clock. That was the first one. My reading got two of them."

Marco shook his head, his hair flying around his neck. "I think your radar's messed up. It's been an hour and a half. We should probably get back to the base and check in with Kyra."

"If there were any problems, she'd contact us," Xellos said. "I just want to double-check the area."

"You've double-checked," grumped Marco. "You've triple-checked. You've even _quadruple-checked!_ There are no more Darkstars right now, Xellos! Let's go!"

Xellos narrowed his eyes at him. "Look, we can't be too careful, Marco."

"You're one to talk." Marco sighed. "I'm out of here."

He hadn't gotten more than five steps before Xellos let out a strangled gasp behind him. "What is it?" he groaned, turning around.

There was a flash of . . . 

And then . . . 

__

Ka-BOOM!

Chapter Five

Have you ever been on the wrong end of a Flare Arrow?

Well, if I haven't, then I have a word of advice for you – do _not_, I repeat _not_ cast a Freeze Arrow at the same time. One of two things could happen. The spells could cancel each other out. Or, if they're cast at precisely the same second, they could result in an explosion to end all explosions. I'm talking Hiroshima explosion. And it's not fun to be near the result. It's even worse to actually be hit by the explosion.

Fortunately, as a Guardian I have the ability to cast protection spells. But even so, the explosion of two equal spells connecting and reacting is enough to knock out a person. 

And that's not a good thing, especially if you next time you regain consciousness – you're a Darkstar prisoner.

Chapter Six

The explosion rocked everything within a one hundred mile radius. It set off every alarm in the AAA base. It caught the attention of every Controller in the Yeerk Command Center. Most of all, it sent Kyra into a frenzied effort to figure out what had happened.

Definitely astral energy. But the question was . . . what had caused it? Marco and Xellos had gone after some Darkstars, but a few mediocre creeps couldn't do something like this . . . wait a second. Marco? Xellos? Kyra called frantically. When there was no answer, she echoed her previously call up to her maximum distance.

Marco? It was T'auk. Marco, what happened? What's going on?

T'auk, this is Kyra. Marco's not here – I can't locate him anywhere. You better back out now.

I don't think that's possible.

What?

I think I've been discovered.

Kyra cursed to herself. I think it's safe to say I'm in big trouble. Searching with her mind, she focused on T'auk and received an image of the young Andalite, demorphed, surrounded by a couple dozen Hork-Bajir. Did I say big? I meant huge.

Definitely huge.

"Deja vu," groaned Marco. "I feel like I'm in a very familiar scene here."

"Meaning what?" Xellos muttered as he struggled to sit up, and found that he had restraints wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

"Meaning I'm expecting a damn Evangelion to show up anytime now," Marco replied. "Or at least a freaky lizard woman."

"I'm afraid you'll just have to settle for little old me." The lights sprang on, and immediately Marco realized they were in a much worse situation than they had been when they'd been held captive inside NERV. "Long time no see, Animorph."

"Nine," snarled Marco, all composure and politeness gone. "I should've known you'd be behind this somehow."

"You must have me confused with some other Yeerk," said the Controller. "Nine's not exactly home right now." 

It was Xellos who made the connection. "Hello, Gryphon," he said in a faux polite voice. "So this is where you ended up."

"Clue me in," whispered Marco.

"Gryphon escaped into Nine's body during our last battle here. Nine was unconscious, and we overlooked him, remember? He's probably been here ever since, but has no chance of leaving. You're energy levels are drained aren't they?" Xellos smirked at the Darkstar. "Oh what a tangled web we weave."

"True, my power isn't what it used to be," admitted Gryphon. "But soon I'll have all the power I need. Then I can return to my true form and be free of this wretched body. Honestly, I don't know how these Yeerks can stand some of the bodies they use."

"The Summoning Stone," Marco said suddenly. "You're going to use it to get you more power."

"Of course," said Gryphon. "Not that you'll be around to see it. I have special plans for the two of you." Then he looked thoughtful. "Oops, silly me – I meant three. Bring in the brat."

"T'auk!" shouted Marco as two guards shoved him into the holding cell with them. "Are you okay?"

Just shaken up, he replied. And as far as I can tell, Kyra's still free.

"Thank God," murmured Xellos. "What do you want with us, Gryphon?"

"Now isn't the time to tell," replied Gryphon. "Ta ta for now kiddies. I've got a stone to find." He gave them a toothy grin, then slipped out of the room.

Xellos sighed. "Well, we know he doesn't have the stone – he wouldn't be looking for it if he did."

Do these things often happen to you? asked T'auk.

"Far too often," replied Xellos. 

"Let's just hope Kyra finds the stone first," said Marco. "And gets us out of here, too."

Unfortunately, at that time Kyra was facing a slight problem of her own: something even more terrifying than being a Darkstar's prisoner.

The Astral Council.

"Both the Obsidian Guardian and the Emerald Guardian have disappeared without a trace," sneered the Chairperson, looking down at Kyra. 

"Yes," Kyra said. There was no point in denying it – the Council could easily break down the barriers of any Guardian during these meetings. She just hoped they wouldn't find out about T'auk.

"And why wasn't the news of a Summoning Stone brought to our attention in the first place?" the Chairperson continued. "You know the laws, Onyx Guardian – all such reports must be brought the attention of the Council before any further action."

"There was no time, Chairperson," replied Kyra. "The Darkstar Gryphon is in the Emerald Dimension, on planet Earth, searching for the stone as we speak."

The Council began murmuring among themselves at the mention of the name Gryphon. "Have you seen the aforementioned Darkstar?" the Chairperson asked immediately.

"Not yet, no," said Kyra truthfully. "But we picked up an astral barrier surrounding the Yeerk compound. It's been identified as Gryphon's."

"And how was this identification possible?" asked the Chairperson suspiciously. "Not even we of the Council can do such things one hundred percent correctly."

Kyra worked to not roll her eyes. "Xellos Metallium made the identification himself," she said. "As a Mazoku, he has remarkably more sophisticated means of astral identification than any of us, save the Astral Dancer."

The Chairperson didn't seem pleased. Kyra knew this was because the Council had been very appalled to discover that a Mazoku, half-kin to Darkstars, had been made a Guardian. She also knew Xellos didn't really operate per Council command.

"Onyx Guardian," the Chairperson said, "we thank you for your report. I am now giving you a direct order – stay away from the Emerald Dimension. We shall recover our missing Guardians ourselves."

Kyra's eyes widened. "Chairperson . . ." She didn't finish in time – the Council's holoimage had already blanked out.

She slumped against the wall of the dark room. "Stay away from my friends?" she whispered. "Over my dead body. But I'm definitely going to need back-up." She glanced out the nearby window. "Looks like it's time for a full-scale reunion."

"Have you had any luck locating the Summoning Stone, Gryphon?"

Gryphon stared at the figure in front of him. "Yes," he said. "I have. It is located somewhere in the mountains to the North of this base. Near the central peak. It will take little time to retrieve it."

"Very good," the figure said. "And after you retrieve it, you wish to grant yourself a new body?"

"Of course."

"Then it will be done. Then we shall take control of the Stone."

"As it was agreed upon," said Gryphon. "None of this would've been possible if it wasn't for your help. But how do I know that once I've regained my true form, you won't stab me in the back?"

Silence.

Then, "You'll just have to take that chance, won't you?"

Marco pulled at the bars of the cell, only to find that they wouldn't budge. "Open up this cage now!" he shouted, but no one heard him. 

Xellos placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Marco. We're Guardians, remember? Gryphon can't keep us locked away forever. There's no magical shield around this cage – all we need to do is wait for our strength to return."

"And while we do that," Marco said through gritted teeth, "Gryphon gets one step ahead of us at finding the Summoning Stone."

There's nothing we can do about that, T'auk said, speaking up for the first time in a long while. Xellos is right – first we need to get out of here. And we may have a lucky break.

"What?"

Those Controllers neglected to search me, said T'auk. He held up an electronic device. While the two of you were arguing, I was busy putting this thing online. It'll send out a signal that'll connect immediately to the AAA base. Once it's transmitting, all we have to do is wait for someone to come rescue us.

Marco and Xellos glanced at each other. "How are we going to explain him?" Marco asked, pointing at Xellos. 

Xellos rolled his eyes. "Pass me off as an ex-Controller, make up some nutty story. I don't care. Right now, though, T'auk's plan is the only thing we have going for us."

Marco nodded. "Okay, then. T'auk? Go for it?"

T'auk punched a few buttons, and then a small red light began blinking on and off. All right. Now all we have to do is wait.

Chapter Seven

Kyra slipped silently into the shadows of the AAA bridge. 

"Have you had any luck figuring out the source of the distress beacon?" someone said.

"No," another answered, "no luck at all. It seems to be coming from somewhere in the Yeerk base, but that can't possibly be right. There shouldn't be anyone of ours in that base. We didn't set up any infiltration."

"Commander!" a new voice rang out, "we're picking up a strange energy fluctuation coming off of Valley Peak. Our computer's can't identify the cause."

Valley Peak, thought Kyra, and the Yeerk base. Too bad I can't be in two places at once.

I'll take the Peak, Kyra – you go to the base.

Chapter Eight

"Hello, my friends," Gryphon sneered as he walked into Nine's chambers and looked upon the trio in the cell. "You're looking mighty alert."

Xellos kept his eyes narrow and followed Gryphon's every move without blinking and saying anything. T'auk refused to even look at the Darkstar. Marco muttered something under his breath but refrained from doing anything. 

"What, no words? Cat got your tongue?" Gryphon laughed uproariously. "No, I forget – Cat got your hearts, didn't she? Got them and threw them away."

Marco and T'auk, of course, knew nothing about what he was talking about. But Xellos' composure was immediately shattered. "You _bastard!_" he shouted, grabbing hold of the cell bars. "Leave her out of this! You can talk ill to me as long as you want, but talk ill of the Astral Dancer and you can be assured that there will always be a Guardian on your tail, waiting for you to slip up so that you can be imprisoned in a jewel." His violet eyes flashed angrily, and grew more so as Gryphon laughed again.

"Such a show you put on, Xellos," he said, chuckling. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were almost sincere. Of course, everyone knows that sincerity is not a virtue Mazokus put into practice."

Xellos practically shook with fury. "Not now," Marco said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not now."

To Gryphon: "What now? What do you want now?"

"Why," Gryphon said with a grand gesture, "it's time for your execution, of course."

Marco, T'auk, and Xellos glanced at each other. We go down with honor, T'auk said.

But Xellos and Marco were less adamant. They both knew the truth: neither of them had passed on to a new generation. Their dimensions, if there were any left after Gryphon used the Summoning Stone, would be without a Guardian. 

As the guards yanked the three out of the cell, Gryphon smirked at Xellos. "Never thought it would end this way, did you? To think, you could've been so much more."

"Better to die on the side of the Mazokus and Guardians then be referred to as a Darkstar coward for the rest of eternity," Xellos snapped back. 

Gryphon was obviously offended by the comment. Before he could say anything, though, the entire base began to shake.

What's going on? T'auk shouted as the guards loosened their grips and fell to the ground.

"I don't know," Marco said, "but it's luck on our side. While they're distracted . . . RUN!"

The entire base was in chaos as tremors rocked the buildings. 

Gryphon wasn't pleased.

"This is no ordinary earthquake," he muttered. With that, he strode over to his view screen, paying no attention to the debris from the ceiling falling down around him. 

The screen buzzed on, and Gryphon saw what was causing it.

It was the damn Onyx Guardian, and she was trying to blast a way through his astral shield! 

And, using those Ra Tilts, it looked like she might succeed.

A smile curled Gryphon's many mouths. 

This was getting fun. 

Kyra was not very happy. 

Gryphon's little barrier was incredibly strong, and her Ra Tilts weren't too much damage to it. It was also draining her strength, physically and mentally. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer . . . 

XELLOS, MARCO, YOU GUYS BETTER BE ON YOUR WAY OUT RIGHT NOW! she shouted with as much energy as she was able to exert. 

Then they were there. Three figures, distinct by their wardrobes – and the fact that one was an Andalite – running out of an emergency exit on her side of the base. They were running all out, trying not to get hit by pieces of the buildings, when they suddenly skidded to a stop. They had reached the barrier, and while T'auk could easily pass through, it would kill Xellos and Marco. 

Kyra halted herself in mid-cast and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she had enough to strength to cast the one spell she knew would break that barrier into pieces, but she had to do it. She'd been reluctant to mention it when they'd first discovered the barrier for the sole reason that she'd only used it once, and it had left her very drained. Whether that would be the case this time was a different story. 

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the Onyx jewel on the top of her Staff. Even with them closed, she could still see the brilliant light emanating from the gem. I'm doing this even if it kills me, she thought. 

"_ONYX WINDSHEAR!_"

"What _is_ that!" Marco exclaimed as a torrent of astral energy flew towards the barrier. The roar of the wind was so loud, he had to shout in order to be heard.

"The Onyx Windshear," replied Xellos, his expression one of awe. "I've heard of it, but I've never actually seen it used. It's Kyra's specialty attack – you know, like that Obsidian Shock I used against Lothos back when you were first claiming your powers."

Whatever it is, it's packing a punch, T'auk said. Um, shouldn't we take cover?

"_Protection!_" Xellos and Marco called at the same time, throwing a mediocre shield around them all. It was all they could manage. 

The barrier suddenly became visible to everyone watching. The windshear struck against it with the force of a thousand hurricanes. A crack appeared, as if the air had suddenly become glass, and then it spread, bursting the shield.

Immediately the windshear died down. Marco and Xellos halted their spell, and hurried over to Kyra as she lowered herself to the ground. 

"You did it," Marco cried with a whoop. "Man, did you come through big time, girl!" 

Kyra managed a weak smile and slumped against Xellos. "I'm exhausted," she whispered. "That took a lot out of me."

Xellos even had to manage a sincere smile. "You've earned a rest," he said. "Go back to your Lair. Marco and I can handle Gryphon and search for the Summoning Stone."

Plus, you've got me! T'auk added, trotting up to them. Now let's motor before those Controller creeps realize what's up.

Kyra gasped. "The Summoning Stone!" she managed to say. "Gryphon's already found it. Someplace in the mountains . . . Valley Peak, I think. You have to hurry. He'll need back-up!"

"Who?" Marco asked. "I hope you don't mean Gryphon."

Kyra shook her head vehemently. "Do I look stupid?" Xellos was wise enough not to comment. "I called in help. Kaoru's up there!"

"T'auk didn't look too thrilled when you told him he had to go back to the base," Xellos said as he and Marco flew over the remains of a large forest. 

Marco shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I don't want him getting mixed up in this anymore."

Xellos nodded, then drew in a deep breath. "How much longer?" he asked. "I can't keep this up forever. Even Mazokus need a break from flying – and I know you can't possibly keep that spell going forever."

Marco hated to admit it, but Xellos was right. He _was_ beginning to lose control of the spell, and when you happened to be thirty feet above the treetops, that wasn't a very good thing. "Not much further," he said. 

Marco was right. Now they could hear the sounds of a battle going on, and the closer they got, the more they could feel the astral energy being used. 

Suddenly something else filled the air. "What was that?" Marco yelped as it went right through him. Below them, dead trees and bushes were collapsing upon themselves, and a few abandoned buildings crashed to the ground.

"AT Field," replied Xellos. "It's only the Ray Wings that prevented us from being crushed by it. That's it, I'm not taking the long way. Obsidian!"

Marco rolled his eyes as Xellos disappeared, then decided to follow his friends' example. "Emerald!"

They arrived in the middle of a heated battle that was dangerously one-sided.

Dozens of Controllers against one Guardian.

"It's about time you two got here!" Kaoru shouted as he dodged the Dracon beams. "I could use some help here."

"We can't hurt them too much," Marco said. 

"Doesn't mean we can't distract them a little," replied Xellos. "_Fireball!_"

"_Flare Arrow!_" Marco followed up.

"_Freeze Arrow!_" Kaoru finished with. 

The three spells shot forward and exploded above the heads of the Controllers. The Controllers, who, just minutes before, had seemed like they were winning, froze. Then they did something Marco had rarely seen Yeerks do.

They ran.

"Okay, that was a little too easy," Kaoru said, coming down to stand beside the others. "I guess they never saw magic before."

"Or maybe there was another reason," murmured Xellos.

"Like what?"

A shadow fell over them. Marco slowly turned around. "Uh, guys? We've got company."

I've been afraid.

I've been so afraid that my knees are shaking. I can't think straight. I'm frozen. I try to talk and all that wants to come out are high-pitched screams and frightened babbling. You think you can like in a war like I have and not be afraid? Try it. I bet you can't. 

But I have never, never been so afraid as I was when I saw the Blade ship. I knew Gryphon was on it. I knew it had come from the Yeerk base. I knew that with one blast from him the three of us would die, and we weren't strong enough to stop it from happening.

I knew that wasn't fear.

It was terror, plain and simple.

"What the hell is that thing?" Xellos whispered. Kaoru stood there, completely stunned by the size. Only Marco truly reacted, his body still but his Staff shaking because he did not have the strength to control his hand. 

"A Blade ship," Marco said. "It must've been Nine's."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Look! The bottom of the ship!"

Held in place by tractor beams was a large slab of rock. And embedded deep within the rock was a glowing green stone. 

The Summoning Stone. 

The air in front of the Stone shimmered, and Gryphon appeared in mid-air. Not Gryphon as he was in Nine's body, but his honest, true form. 

"Guess who's back in action?" Gryphon snarled. "I have the Stone. I have my body. And you – you have nothing."

"Wrong, genius," a voice called out from somewhere in mid-air. "They've got me."

Kaoru, Marco, and Xellos reacted instantaneously. "_Cat?_"

Chapter Nine

"Miss me much?" Cat asked, flashing a quick smile in their direction. "Sorry it took me so long – I had other things to deal with. I ran into Kyra on her way to her Lair. Hello, Gryphon, long time no see."

"Not long enough," growled Gryphon. "You can't stop me, you witch. You do know that."

Cat arched one eyebrow. "Oh, gee, for a minute you had me scared." She let out a confident laugh. "You know, my friends here may be a bit preoccupied with other things, but I just got here. It's not so easy to distract me. And I've been wondering just why you haven't used the Summoning Stone for purposes other than changing your body back."

Marco glanced at Xellos. She's right! Xellos realized. It would've been easy for Gryphon to use the Summoning Stone with us exhausted as we are. Why didn't he?

Maybe there's another player in this game, Marco murmured.

Kaoru nodded. Gryphon probably made a deal that he'd get them the Stone if they would let him get his true form back.

"So tell me," Cat continued, "just what's the other plan here?"

Gryphon slowly fumed as he floated in front of the Stone. "If I told you that, I'd be killed," he snarled. "I finished my part – I got the Stone. If they don't get it, it's not my problem. I'll tell you this, though – my employers are right under your noses."

"What do you mean?" snapped Xellos.

But Gryphon just laughed. "You'll find out – someday. Good-bye, Guardians. Until next time." There was a flash of light, and he was gone.

Cat moved to join her friends. "Okay. Somebody want to explain to me what's been happening?"

Marco glanced at Xellos, who shrugged. "Later," he said. "Right now, we need to deal with that." He pointed at the Summoning Stone.

"We need to put it somewhere where nobody will find it," said Kaoru. "It doesn't belong in anyone's hands, Darkstar or Guardian. And don't forget, someone else is looking for it now."

Suddenly the Stone began to shimmer. "Hey!" Marco cried. "What's happening!" 

It faded away, and disappeared, leaving behind a faint image of green which also faded away in seconds.

Cat frowned. "We have to assume that Gryphon's unknown employers have it now," she said. "In which case, we may be in for a major problem."

"Problem?" 

The Astral Dancer nodded. "We're dealing with an unknown enemy, and if Gryphon's right, he or she is right in front of us."

Marco, Xellos, Kaoru, and Cat continued to stare at the spot where the Summoning Stone had been. The Blade ship was now moving away from the mountains, back towards the Yeerk base. Darkstar magic was at work, blocking Gryphon's time on Earth from the minds of everyone – except the Guardians. 

"Just what we need," Marco said finally, breaking the silence. "More trouble."

Epilogue

So that's it. We're dealing with something we don't understand, and something that we can't fight. But we can't let it get us down. After all, there's nothing we can do unless our enemy plays another card. And we have to be ready for them then. 

Meanwhile, life goes on. For me, that's not quite so easy. Without the Summoning Stone, things are finally beginning to slack off on the Darkstar front, but there's still evil for me to vanquish. 

The hardest part, though, of fighting this evil is knowing that at one time it was a living, breathing being. Sure, a being who sold its soul for power, but still . . . I don't really like killing people. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do once the soul is sold. 

I guess I just have to work on stopping the Darkstars before they manage to make more of themselves.

And that's the Emerald Saga, a spin-off the **Astral Dancer**. I'm doing this series as a trial thing, as a way to enlighten the readers to what's going on with Marco Sinclair outside of the Animorphs **AAA** and the above series mentioned in bold writing. If I don't receive good reviews, I won't post #2. 

But here's a preview anyway:

Next time on:

THE EMERALD SAGA

Keeper of the Soul

Before a Darkstar becomes a Darkstar, it is a true being. The person (to use the term loosely) must sell their souls to become a Darkstar. Once this happens, the Guardians must defeat them. 

Marco has a hard enough time killing Darkstars that he knows were created from people in his own dimension. He desperately wants a way to stop the hosts before they sell themselves out, but there's no way of knowing when someone is making a pact with a Darkstar.

Marco's about to face the ultimate test of strength: When someone he knows tells him about the Darkstars, and that they're planning on making a pact. His friend is being terribly deceived, he knows that – but can he stop him?


	2. An Angel Among Demons

The Jasper Saga #1

An Angel Among Demons

Prologue

I am not a bad person. Really. Trust me. Although I suppose if I hadn't joined NERV and decided to fight against my people, I might have turned into a bad person. I was born the Seventeenth Angel, or Tabris as they designated me. When I was fifteen I was sent to Earth, where I was supposed to destroy NERV, make contact with Adam, and activate the Third Impact. I probably would've done it, too, if Shinji Ikari hadn't talked me out of it.

He managed to convince me to see the consequences of what I was doing. Thank God. When I think about what could've happened . . . well, actually, I don't really want to think about it.

So for about six months, everything was fine. I became the Fifth Child, Kaoru Nagisa, pilot of EVA Unit 04, and all-around Mr. Serious (that's what Asuka calls me, anyway). I rented the apartment next to Shinji, so that works out pretty well. Technically, Shinji and Asuka's guardian, Misato, is mine, too – but there wasn't that much room left in their apartment. Besides, having my own place is good – especially after what just happened.

Not long ago, I discovered that I'd been chosen for an even greater task than being the Seventeenth Angel or the Fifth Child. I was the Jasper Guardian, the Fifth Ranking Guardian in the Dimensions. Or, I'm supposed to be. For some reason that the Astral Council (nor I) can figure out, my powers haven't completely manifested. I don't try to worry about. I just try to keep it a secret.

So now I have to deal with keeping the Earth safe _and_ keeping the universe safe, and neither are easy. I don't think about my life as an Angel anymore – I try to keep the past in the past. 

There are things in my past that I hope I _never_ remember again.

Chapter One

__

Crash! 

"Ow!" a young voice whined as the owner of the voice got slammed up against a hard brick wall. "What's the big idea?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," the attacker said. "I thought you Darkstars would've been smart enough to stay away from Tokyo-3 after what happened with Lothos."

The youth's eyes widened. "Guardian."

"Jasper, to be precise," Kaoru said, removing his pendent from underneath his shirt. "Now, you do realize what I can do with this, don't you?"

The young-looking Darkstar tried to push himself flatter against the wall. "You wouldn't. I've barely had a chance to explore this place! I've only been a Darkstar for a few days."

"Too bad," Kaoru replied. "Next time you want to sell your soul, make sure you know what you're up against." He held out the Jasper Pendant. "_Yrstemy neewhallo eth dna nawd._"

The Darkstar opened his mouth to continue protesting, but before he could speak the orange glow enveloped him, pulling him into the jewel. Kaoru slid the pendant back under his school uniform. "Fifth one this week," he muttered. "What, is there an epidemic or something?" 

Shoving his hands into his pockets, fifteen-year-old Kaoru Nagisa stepped out of the alley, whistling softly and preparing to attend another boring day of classes in Room 2-A at the Tokyo District Junior High. All in a days work for the Jasper Guardian.

"All rise," commanded Class Representative Hikari Horaki. "Bow. Be seated."

The sensai turned to the chalkboard and began writing two words on it: 'Second Impact'. Immediately, everyone began tuning him out.

Kaoru clicked the message icon on his laptop. Hey, Shinji, doesn't sensai ever get tired of talking about the Second Impact?

Shinji's reply came a second later. No. He's talked about it ever since I joined this class. He's obsessed, and he doesn't even have the facts straight. I don't really pay that much attention anymore.

Neither, apparently, was anyone else. Many kids weren't even bothering with using their laptops to talk – they were doing just fine verbally. Kaoru shook his head, and closed his own computer. He instead turned around in his seat to talk to Shinji.

"It's no wonder we have so much homework," he said. "We never get taught anything in class."

Shinji nodded. "Hey, Kaoru, why were you late for class?"

Kaoru bit his lip. "I, uh, overslept. My alarm wasn't working right this morning."

"Oh," Shinji said. "I came over and knocked on your door. When there was no answer, I figured you had already left. Then Asuka practically dragged me out of the building. Sorry."

Kaoru shrugged. "No big deal."

Asuka motioned for Shinji to come over to her desk then, so Kaoru turned back around and glanced over at Hikari. She was completely absorbed in something Toji was saying, and for once wasn't trying to enforce the rules. He decided to get a head start on his homework, since he had tests at NERV later, and rebooted his computer.

He hadn't been working for more than a few minutes when the screen went blank.

Huh? he thought. "That's strange."

Then the screen turned red. Strange type scrolled out on the screen, and a message appeared.

__

jasper guardian 

meet me at the overlook in the mountains at five o' clock. we have much to discuss. 

Kaoru froze. He didn't need instant translation to know what the message said. He'd grown up speaking and writing the language. It was Angel.

Scratch those tests.

Five o' clock. 

"No messenger," Kaoru said. "What a surprise. Why is it Angels always have to be 'fashionably late'?"

"I would hope you were including yourself in that statement."

Kaoru spun around and found himself staring at a puddle of slime. "Bardiel," he said unemotionally. "You do realize that everyone at NERV believes you were killed in the Unit 01 Dummy Plug incident?"

A little portion of slime pulled itself up, creating a strange little mouth, reminding Kaoru of a sock puppet. "It's true," Bardiel said, "you did sell out. I was hoping it wasn't real. I was . . . what happened, Tabris? We used to be such good friends."

Kaoru stiffened at the sound of his birth name. "If you have to address me at all, address me at Kaoru, Nagisa, or the Jasper Guardian. And, pardon my saying so, it's a little unnerving talking to a puddle of slime."

"I'm hurt," Bardiel whimpered. "Very well." The slime shifted and stretched as the former Thirteenth Angel took on yet another form. "I love being a shape-shifter," he said as he finished the change.

Kaoru found himself staring at a perfect, but miniature, copy of Unit 03. "Why that form?"

"It happens to be my favorite," Bardiel said, shrugging. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about me. I came here to talk about you."

"What about me?" As much as Kaoru despised the Angels now, he had to admit that Bardiel had been one of his better friends when they were younger. And he hadn't attacked him yet. Yet being the operative word, of course.

Bardiel sighed. "It's like this, Kaoru. Somehow, our people have figured out that you're the Jasper Guardian. I don't know how this information leaked out, but I do know that the Boss isn't happy. He sent you to get the Jasper Staff for him, and now you're keeping it for yourself."

"I don't have a choice about that. And for the last time, the Angels are not my people."

"Will you just listen?" Bardiel snapped. "I only have a small window before NERV sensors pick me up."

"Then get to the point."

Bardiel sighed again. "Look. To make a long story short, the Boss has decided to put you through a test. You pass, and he'll forgive you. You fail, you die."

"He can't force me to do anything," Kaoru protested. "That's absurd!"

Bardiel grabbed Kaoru by the shoulders and stared at him. "Listen to me, Kaoru, Nagisa, Tabris or whoever you are!" he practically shouted. "You may talk like a human, you may look like a human, you may even call yourself a human, but you were born an Angel, your blood is Angel blood, and that means the Boss has full control over you!"

Then his anger dissipated. "God, Kaoru, don't you get it?" he whispered. "You're going to be put through the Right of Passage."

With those words, Bardiel slipped back into his slime state, and disappeared.

Kaoru stood frozen still, unblinking. His whole track of thought had frozen at the words 'Right of Passage'. 

His cell phone rang. Kaoru pulled it out of his bag, opened it, and answered. 

"Kaoru, where are you?" Misato demanded. "We've been waiting almost half an hour!"

"Sorry, Major Katsuragi," Kaoru said softly. "I'll be right there." He switched off the cell phone.

He didn't leave until Misato herself tracked him down and picked up, six hours later.

The Right of Passage. One of the most dreaded tests the Boss can put an Angel through. To test whether or not an Angel truly is strong enough for the tasks set before him, he must first relive his whole life, beginning from his moment of Creation and ending with the most recent events.

If his life has been easy and he has nothing to be ashamed of, the Right of Passage causes no harm.

But if his life has been one hellish moment to the next, it could very well kill him.

There have been accounts of Angels going through the Right of Passage and then destroying their very Cores. As if reliving the memories of their past is too horrific to imagine. There was even Angels who enter the Right of Passage – and never return. They're torn apart before they reach the end.

Very few Angels have been strong enough to survive the Right of Passage and return unscarred.

I am not one of those Angels.

There are things in my past I wouldn't even wish on a Darkstar.

"Why did you skip today's tests?" Misato demanded as they drove through Tokyo-3. "Ritsuko and I waited for hours for you to show up. Somehow, you managed to ditch NERV security. It took me an hour and a half to find you. You didn't even tell Shinji where you were going!"

Kaoru shrugged. "I had some things I needed to think about," he said softly.

A growl escaped Misato's throat. "Listen, Kaoru – you know I'm on your side, and so are Shinji, Asuka, and Rei. And you also know that the Commanders, not to mention most of

that the Commanders, not to mention most of NERV, don't trust you at all. You do know that, right?"

Kaoru stared silently a head.

"Commander Ikari is just looking for an excuse to send you away," Misato continued. "If he has any reason to suspect that you're working as a double agent for the Angels – well, you know what'll happen."

Major Katsuragi, you don't know how true those words are. Out loud, he said, "Sorry, Major. I guess I just needed some time to myself. I can do those tests tonight, if you want."

Misato shook her head. "No, Ritsuko's already gone home for the night. We'll just have to reschedule, that's all. She's got Rei signed up for additional testing tomorrow – I'll call and see if we can fit you in. Is that all right?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Thanks, Major."

Misato looked at him. "For what?"

He didn't move. "For being on my side," he whispered so softly, Misato wasn't sure he'd even spoken at all.

Somewhere distantly overhead

A ghostly figure sat in a dark room gazing into a pool of water. The image in the water revealed the target sleeping soundly in his room. Well, he wouldn't be sleeping soundly soon. 

"Time to begin," the figure whispered softly.

Within the mind of Kaoru Nagisa

Where am I?

What's going on?

Is this . . . the Right of Passage?

I look around. There doesn't seem to be anyone there. I can see nothing. It's all black. Completely dark. Where am I?

This is the depths of your mind.

What? Who . . .?

I am the one they call Tabris.

No.

I am who you truly are. I am your destiny. Kaoru Nagisa does not exist. 

Liar! I'm human! I am not an Angel anymore!

You cannot hide from who you truly are. Your birthright is your birthright, your blood is your blood.

I am Kaoru Nagisa! Tabris is dead!

Nagisa is merely a name you have chosen for yourself. You were me long before then. You have forgotten me, Kaoru Nagisa. 

I will make you remember.

NO!

Kaoru opened his eyes and looked around him. "This place," he whispered. "I know this place."

And what is this place?

"This is where I was created."

What most of the humans didn't realize was that the Angel civilization was much like their own. There were families, and these families lived in homes, and had friends, and went to work, and so on. What Kaoru was now looking at was the house he had been born in.

His mother, his creator, hadn't had much of a life. She'd had it hard. Her name was Tarala, and she lived in a small, two-story building with several other female Angels. Her mate had left her two months before Kaoru was born. So Tarala was forced to come to the shelter.

The scenery changed, and suddenly he was inside the house. In a small, damp room that had barely any lighting at all. Tarala was in this room, in Lillim form, stretched out on the floor and in pain. Beside her was another female, also in Lillim form, who Kaoru thought he knew but couldn't place her. 

Suddenly he could hear what was being said in the room.

"Just a few more minutes, Tarala," the midwife was saying. "Just a few more minutes. Then you can rest."

Tarala's answer was another scream as another contraction overtook her. The midwife clenched her hand, and Kaoru was amazed that, although his mother had to have been squeezing with all her might, this Angel didn't even flinch.

"Come on, Tarala. You can do it. He's almost here. Just a few more minutes. Okay. One more time."

Another scream. Then, suddenly, a second cry echoed the first, and Kaoru found himself staring down at . . . himself. A little Angel, in Lillim form as all Angels were during the first months of their life. It wasn't until they reached the age of one that they were able to become other forms.

You know what happens next, don't you?

Kaoru drew in a sharp breath as shouting voices could be heard from outside the room. Tarala and the midwife gasped and turned towards the door. "It's them," Tarala whispered, her face white with fear. "They've come for him."

The midwife shushed her quickly. "Hush, Tarala – they won't get him. I promise. You'll both get out of here safely."

But Tarala was beginning to panic. And then the door to the room opened, and someone – Kaoru hadn't been able to see who – stepped into the room. His mother's eyes widened, and her heart pounded as she held her child close. "Go away," she whispered. "You can't have him."

The figure said nothing. 

Suddenly Tarala pushed her child into the hands of midwife. "Take him," she hissed. "Go out the window. Take him as far from this place as you can."

"But you can't –" the midwife protested, then fell silent. There was determination in Tarala's eyes. The figure moved towards the midwife as she stood, but Tarala stopped him with an icy glare. 

Then Kaoru could no longer see the room. Instead, the midwife had become her other form – the form of a flying serpent – and with a tight grip on him and his blanket, flew away from the house.

The image faded.

Do you remember what happened to your mother?

He hadn't known for sure. No one had ever told him. He'd blocked his first memories from his mind forever. But now he knew.

His mother had died the day he began living.

For years, I'd thought about my mother. I'd never known her – I was told that when I was young, barely born, she'd abandoned me. And although I had the feeling that this was a lie, I let myself believe it. I lied to myself. I stayed with the midwife until she found a respectable home for me to live in. After that, I never saw her again. But by that time it didn't matter – I was already becoming accustomed to my new family. And for the first time in my short life, I had a friend.

His name was Bardiel.

Shinji could hear Asuka moving around in the kitchen. "I'm going over to see if Kaoru's awake yet," he called to her. 

"Hurry up!" she shouted back.

He grabbed his bag and walked over to the next-door apartment. "Kaoru?" he called, knocking loudly on the door. "Are you up?"

There was no answer from inside.

What's more, the tape that Misato had placed over the door frame was still in place. The door hadn't been open since she'd dropped him off the night before. 

"Misato?" Shinji poked his head back into his apartment. Nerv's Operations Director was leaning sleepily against the table, chewing on a slice of toast and sipping from a can of beer. No surprise. "Kaoru doesn't seem to be answering, and from what I can tell, he's still in his room."

Misato dropped the toast, pushed back from the table, and moved with such speed that she almost left puffs of smoke behind her. She stalked over to Kaoru's door and slammed her fist against it a couple times. "Kaoru, wake up!"

No answer.

Grumbling to herself, she pulled out a spare key from her pocket and slid it into the lock. Giving it a good, hard twist, and leaning against the door at the same time, she fell into the room and barely had a chance to regain her balance.

With Shinji right on her heels, she walked over to Kaoru's bedroom . . . and stopped short.

Kaoru was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were wide open, and he wasn't blinking. He didn't seem to be breathing, either. Misato was suddenly filled with dread, and with Shinji asking her what was wrong, she was very worried that she'd have to tell him Kaoru was dead.

But then she dismissed the idea. Not because the Fifth Child had started breathing – but because his eyes were glowing a strange, eerie green. 

"Call Ritsuko," Misato ordered.

Shinji didn't question it.

Chapter Two

Ah, those were the days. It seems like it was so long ago that we were children, eh, Kaoru Nagisa? Do you remember the old gang? Of course you do. Many of them later joined with the Supreme Ruler, such as Bardial and Israfel. But do you remember them as children?

I . . . I remember Israfel and Bardial. I grew up with them. But others . . . there were no others.

None that you know of.

"Hey, hey Bardial, wait up!"

"I've been waiting, Tabris. Come on, the others are waiting for us." 

Kaoru watched with amazement as two Angels came into view, both in Lillim form, maybe five years old at most. He knew them. Even if they hadn't just shouted each others' name, he would have known them.

"Where's Israfel?" Little Tabris asked. "Isn't he coming?"

"He'll be along later," said Bardial. "We're going to be late if we don't move."

"It looks like it's going to rain," said Tabris. "Think there'll be a flood?"

"If there is, I feel sorry for the Lillims down there," laughed Bardial. "I heard they don't do well in deep water." Tabris laughed along with him.

Kaoru clenched his teeth. When he was younger, he and his friends had always made jokes at the expense of the human race. 

They're lesser than us. Of course we make fun of them.

That's sick.

"Bardial, Tabris! Wait!"

Both Angels turned to greet the third. "I thought you were coming until later, Israfel," commented Bardial. 

"Guess what my father just told me?" Israfel said excitedly. "He's been promoted! He's going to be working for the new Supreme Leader."

"Adam Sixteen?" Tabris asked. "Wow. That's great."

"What's even better is that he's taking all of us with him! We'll be leaving the village for the city in two days." Israfel grinned. "The three of us, plus Bardial's mother and my parents. It's all been arranged. Father wants us to start packing, though."

The three of them ran back in the direction they had come, talking excitedly. 

You were so excited, weren't you? You were going to the city! You'd never have to see that village again. Never mind that you'd never see you're other friends again – that didn't matter. Did they even know where you were, Kaoru Nagisa?

Israfel, Bardial, and I wrote to them sometimes. But we never heard back.

Of course.

It never occurred to you, the reason Israfel's father wanted to get you all out so fast . . . did it? You never knew.

Knew what?

Would you like to see what happened to your childhood home, Kaoru Nagisa? 

Again, it was the town that he had lived in since his mother's demise. Three days later, though. And there appeared to be a bit of tension in the air . . . 

Suddenly rapid bursts of laser fire ripped through the quiet peace of the town. The place was surrounded by Angels in their Angel forms. Men, women, children, pets – they were driven out of their homes and stores into the streets. 

One child broke away from the crowd and tried to run back into his home. An Angel took careful aim, and fired. The child fell in a pool of blood.

Kaoru could feel the bile rising the back of his throat. That child – it had been one of his friends. He had lived next door to that child. 

They torched the buildings. Within minutes, everything was up in flames. The townsfolk who tried to escape were slaughtered. Those that didn't escape were beaten and forced into transports. 

The image disappeared, and everything was black.

Impressive, huh? A whole town, just wiped away in a single day. Truly a work of art.

You're sick.

And that would be the Lillim in you talking, Kaoru Nagisa. But you're forgetting – I am merely the Angel in you. These thoughts are the same thoughts you have . . . or you would have if the Lillim hadn't tainted you. But then, if they hadn't tainted you, you wouldn't be in this mess, would you?

Shut up. Just shut up and get out of my head!

Has the great Kaoru Nagisa, Fifth Child, Pilot of Evangelion Unit 04, finally broken? Tsk tsk. What would Shinji think? What would Rei think?

Leave them out of this!

It sickens me to think that you've sunk so low as to _befriend_ this pathetic species. Develop _feelings_ for them. So, tell me, Kaoru Nagisa. Are you ready to give up?

Get. Out. My. Head.

"How is he?" Shinji asked Misato quietly.

She had just walked into the waiting room in NERV's hospital. Asuka, Rei, and Shinji were all waiting nervously, waiting to hear what she would say. Shinji had considered calling Kensuke and telling him what happened, knowing he would pass it to Toji and Hikari, but had decided to wait until he got the whole story.

Misato sighed. "Still in a coma," she said. "At least, that's what Ritsuko's calling it. But this isn't like any coma _I've_ ever seen."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, the whole eye thing just happens to not be one of the symptoms they teach you about in medical school."

Rei was staring at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Will he be all right?" she asked softly, concern edging into her tone.

Again Misato sighed. "It's anyone's guess right now," she said. "Why don't you three go home and try to get some rest? You don't have to go to school tomorrow, but you might be needed for something else."

Shinji shook his head. "We're staying, Misato."

No one argued. 

Chapter Three

Tired yet, Kaoru Nagisa?

I know you're there. Just because you aren't talking to me doesn't mean I can't read your thoughts. I am you, after all.

You're curious. You want to know what happened to all those people you left behind. You want to know just what Adam Sixteen's objective was. You want to know everything. I can tell you everything. 

Everything you need to know.

Why don't we start . . . with the Evangelions.

What?

Shinji stared through the glass window next to Kaoru's door. His friend still held the mysterious glow in his eyes, and he hadn't moved once. He didn't even appear to be breathing, although Ritsuko had confirmed that he was alive.

Suddenly a hand fell on Shinji's shoulder. He spun around and found himself looking at a teenager, maybe only a couple yearolder than him, wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses. "Who are you?" Shinji demanded. "What do you want?"

The boy glanced into Kaoru's room. "We need to talk, Shinji Ikari," the boy said. His voice and mannerisms sounded too sophisticated for an average teenager. Shinji was immediately suspicious.

"Who are you?" he repeated.

"A friend of a common friend," was the reply. "Why don't we go in here?" 'Here' was a small, unoccupied room next to Kaoru's. Shinji didn't get the chance to argue as he was pulled in. As he stood there, the other boy locked the door and unplugged each security camera. 

"What's going on?" 

"You want to help Kaoru Nagisa, don't you?" the boy asked. 

"Yes."

"Then we need to work together. You have the means to help him – I have the knowledge. We can fight this together."

Shinji was completely confused. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

The boy removed his glasses and stared at Shinji with strange, green eyes. "Perhaps the proper question would be, what am I?"

Then, right before the Third Child's eyes, the boy began to melt.

Chapter Four

The slime that the boy had become twisted and reassembled itself. "Perhaps you'll find this form more familiar."

It was Evangelion Unit 03, only down at Shinji's size.

"It's my favorite," Bardial said. "No doubt you recognize me know."

Shinji pressed himself up against the wall of the room. "You – you're the Thirteenth Angel."

"That's a designation I once held, yes," Bardial agreed. "After my short-lived time on this planet, I returned to my world and my family and my friends. One of whom happens to be lying in a coma right next door."

Shinji glanced over at the wall connecting the two rooms. "You're Kaoru's friend?"

"Although I knew him as Tabris, yes, I'm his friend. I have been since he was very young," Bardial said. "We grew up together. I tried to warn him about this – I told him the Boss would get to him."

"The Boss?"

Bardial nodded his mecha-head. "Adam Sixteen. The sixteenth direct descendant from Adam and Lillith, at least that we know of.

"You see, Tabris – excuse me, Kaoru – is a traitor to the Angels. Adam Sixteen doesn't like traitors. I was caught between loyalties – my species or my friend. I chose my friend."

Chapter Five

What do you mean, we'll start with the Evangelions? What does that have to do with my memories?

Panic much? Heh heh heh. Don't tell me you don't remember. Do you recall some years ago, a project that you, Bardial, and Israfel did for your studies class? You were playing with the idea that –

That it was possible to take a stored persona and infuse it with an otherwise synthetic creation. It would have solved the problem of death for everyone – take everyone's stored personas and place them into synthetic bodies and have them live through it. But there was a problem. And that –

Was controlling the new body. It couldn't be done. Without a living, breathing soul, the persona stored within the creation's core would be unable to activate. So it was basically just an empty shell.

What does that have to do with the Evangelions?

Everything. You see, Israfel's data took the data after you three were finished with it and gave it to Adam Sixteen. He created the first blueprints for the Evangelions from it – and had then passed onto the human Gendo Ikari.

But that would mean the Evangelions . . .

"So this plan was the creation of your son and two of his friends?"

Kaoru stared at the two figures standing before him now. One was Israfel's father. The other was someone he'd never seen before, but someone he knew all too well just the same.

Adam Sixteen.

"Yes," answered Israfel's father. "They don't know I have it."

Adam Sixteen nodded. "Very good. This intrigues me."

"Is it of any use?" 

"Much use," was the reply. "You've done well."

"Thank you, sir," answered Israfel's father. "May I go now?"

"You may go."

And then a burst of energy hit Israfel's father. Kaoru felt his blood run cold as he watched Adam Sixteen _incinerate_ the Angel's very core. Murder him. 

Then, very calmly, he destroyed the rest of the body and called one of his attendants. "Have these documents sent to Earth," was the order. "Several years into the past. Understand?"

The attendant nodded, took the documents, and disappeared. 

Everything faded, and Kaoru felt sick.

Chapter Six

You're little school project launched the cycle that would eventually bring about the destruction of the human race. _You_ created the Evangelions.

Pure genius. 

He _killed_ Israfel's father.

It was necessary. Adam Sixteen couldn't have anyone knowing where the plans came from. He needed it tracked to the human Gendo Ikari, not the Angels. That attendant he sent into the past – he was destroyed, too.

Stop this. Get me out of this. I don't want to see anymore.

The mighty Kaoru Nasiga is finally breaking? Giving up? Good. No one cares about you anyway. People are just going on with their lives while you slowly die here in your shell.

Liar. Shinji . . .

Shinji is a wimp. An idiot. He cares more about pleasing other people than he does about his own friends. He's not a real friend. He looks at you, he sees the enemy. The only reason he didn't kill you before was because he wanted to defy his father. That's the only reason he hasn't killed you yet. 

No one cares about you, Fifth Child.

"So what you're saying," Shinji said after listening to was Bardial had told him, "is that a long time ago, you, Kaoru, and the Sixth Angel Israfel created the original plans for the Evangelions. These were then confiscated by your leader, Adam Sixteen, and sent in the past, to a place where my father was bound to find them. Then Kaoru decides he's had enough of the Angels, quits, joins up with us, and now he's being sucked through this whole Right of Passage thing. Do these two things in any way connect?"

"Kaoru is an Evangelion pilot, isn't he?" Bardial countered. "I just told you the history behind the Evangelion design. Each Evangelion has a human soul in it. Unit 01?"

"My mother, Yui Ikari," answered Shinji. 

"Unit 00?"

"An imprint of my mother's soul."

"Unit 02?"

Shinji frowned. "I think that part of Asuka's mother is in that one."

Bardial nodded. "Catching a pattern? How about Unit 03?"

"It didn't stick around long enough," answered Shinji. "Remember?"

Again Bardial nodded. "Yes, but I was also in there long enough to connect with the spirit. It was the mother of the Fourth Child."

__

That's right, Shinji thought. _Toji's mother is dead, too._ "But Unit 03 was built in America, eight years after Toji's mother died," Shinji said in confusion.

"The body was, but the core wasn't," explained Bardial. "Now. What about Unit 04?"

Shinji shrugged. "That I don't know."

"Look at the evidence. Your mother. The person who donated DNA to Rei – also your mother, and I suppose in some bizarre way, hers, too. Asuka's mother – or at least her sanity. Toji's mother." Bardial looked hard at Shinji. "Logic shows only one possibility, Third Child. You do the math."

Chapter Seven

An hour later, Shinji was walking slowly towards the school basketball courts. He needed to talk to someone – preferably his best friend. And since Toji wasn't at home, there was most likely one other place he'd be. 

"Hey," Toji said as Shinji approached him. He picked up a basketball and managed to get it in through the hoop. He winced a little as he reached out to retrieve the ball.

"You're getting better at balancing," Shinji noticed. "You're left arm doesn't seem nearly as weak as it used to."

Toji shrugged. "That's what Dr. Akagi said, but who knows what the truth is." He peered carefully at his friend. "You okay, man? You seem kind of creeped about something."

Shinji sighed. "Did Kensuke tell you about Kaoru?"

Toji nodded. "Yeah. Too bad. How's the guy doing?"

"Holding his own," said Shinji. "But he doesn't have much time."

"Kensuke said they had him stabilized."

"Stabilized, sure," Shinji said. "But I just found out what's wrong with him. Do me a favor – get everyone together and meet me on the roof. There's a _lot_ I need to tell you."

"Care to fill me in now, just in case I have trouble convincing Hikari to let her sisters make dinner tonight? You know how she is."

"Use your charm," answered Shinji as he walked towards the building. "She'll come."

Toji laughed, then walked off in search of the nearest pay phone.

An hour later, no one was laughing.

"So what you're saying," Asuka said slowly, leaning against the railing surrounding the edge of the roof, "is that the Thirteenth Angel, who somehow survived that crazy beating you gave it, showed up at _NERV hospital_ to tell you that Kaoru is in a desperate struggle _in his own mind_ to save his life and also that the spirit of his _mother_ is in Unit 04, which has nothing to do with the prior, and that there's this crazy guy named Adam Sixteen running the Angel show, and the reason the Angel's haven't attacked recently is because they're locked in an out-of-control civil war, and this has _what_ to do with the rest of us?"

Kensuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If the Angels are having trouble, let them. It'll keep them off our backs."

Suddenly, the railing he was leaning against grew a mouth. "And here I was thinking you were going to _convince_ them, Third Child," came the voice of Bardial. Kensuke screamed loudly and jumped away, ducking behind Toji.

The railing pulled away from the rest and melted back into the puddle that was Bardial's natural state. The little sock-puppet mouth drew itself up. "By the way, next time you want to lean on a railing, try not to put so much pressure on it. You're heavy."

Everyone had frozen, except Shinji. Shinji just blinked and sighed. "I thought you were leaving," he said. "Aren't you afraid NERV sensors will pick you up?"

"Normally, yes," Bardial said, quickly reshaping himself, this time into the human form he'd first encountered Shinji in. "Only this time I was distracted by a strange power flux in this area. I decided to hang around and figure out what it was."

"And did you?" hissed Toji. "Or are you just standing here to annoy us?" Hikari placed a comforting hand on Toji's arm.

Bardial blinked, and a slightly hurt expression crossed his face. Then recognition crossed his face. "The Fourth Child," he murmured. Then he shook his head as if the clear it. "Listen. That power flux has led me to believe that maybe, just maybe, Kaoru's current state has nothing to do with the Right of Passage."

"I thought you said this Adam Sixteen guy was putting Kaoru through this Right of Passage," Hikari said suspiciously.

"That's what I thought, too," countered Bardial. "But – I could be wrong. If I'm not mistaken, that power surge was characteristic not of an Angel – but of a Darkstar."

Shinji's eyes widened. "A Darkstar?"

Poor, poor Kaoru. Haven't you realized that you can't win? That you can't stop this? 

Get out of my head. 

Hmm. I wonder what I should show you next. I know! How about the day you agreed to work for Adam Sixteen – the day you became one of the Seventeen Angels to destroy Earth.

__

Get out of my head!

Adam Sixteen surveyed the group before him. "You all understand what you're doing, then? Your services will be well remembered in the years to come."

The fifteen beings before him stood silently.

Fifteen. Kaoru stared at the small gathering. There were only fifteen, but there should have been seventeen. Where were the other two? The first and the second, they should have been there, but they weren't, so where were they? 

That's right. The humans, the Lillim, they had Adam and they had Lillith. The First and the Second. Then there was the Third, Sachiel, and the Fourth, Shamshel, all the way to the Seventeenth, Tabris. Me. Him. Tabris was the key, Tabris would be the clean-up batter in the Angels' line-up.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kaoru – no, Tabris – could hear a voice calling to him. But he paid no attention. Voices in his mind no longer mattered. He'd always heard voices – they'd never mattered.

He was the Seventeenth Angel. He was Tabris. It was time to let the Lillims know they were messing with the wrong guy.

You're mine, Jasper Guardian.

Chapter Eight

Misato Katsuragi was on her way out of NERV Headquarters when it happened.

There was no warning at all. No ominous silences, no green sky, no bolts of lightning or cattle mutilations or crop circles. All she was thinking about was going home, having a couple cans of beer, and passing out on the her bed. 

She was halfway to her car when Hyuga came running after her. "Major! You better get in here, now!"

"What is it?" she asked, turning around and putting just enough contempt in her tone to let Hyuga know just how upset she was at being stopped.

"There's been an explosion in the hospital," Hyuga answered. "Several injuries, a few criticals."

"What?" Misato gaped at him. "What happened?"

"Unknown. Only . . ." He hesitated then.

"Hyuga?"

"Right before the explosion, we detected a sudden burst of energy on the sensors. The MAGI detected a Pattern Blue. Coming from the Fifth Child's room."

Misato stared at him. "Shit," she said.

"Commander Ikari is demanding you take action."

"Tell him I'll get right on it. And Hyuga?"

"Yes?"

"You better call in the pilots."

"Yes, Major."

"A Darkstar?" Shinji repeated, staring at Bardial.

"What's a Darkstar?" Toji asked, confused. "I don't remember _that_ being covered in school." Hikari smacked him on his shoulder. "Hey, that's my good shoulder! Please keep it intact."

"A Darkstar," Bardial began, but he was interrupted by the beeping of Shinji, Asuka, and Rei's cell phones. 

Rei got to hers first. "Ayanami," she answered. "Yes. Yes. Yes." Her eyes widened, but it was the only expression she made. "Understood. We're on our way."

"What is it, Wondergirl?" Asuka asked, folding her arms. 

Rei turned to look at them. "Our presence is requested at Headquarters," she said. "The Fifth Child has awoken, and he blew up part of the hospital."

Everyone stared at her. Then, after ten seconds of silence – "_WHAT?_"

Misato stared in shock as she watched the security footage that had been taken just moments before the hospital blew.

The glow in Kaoru's eyes intensified, then disappeared.

He sat up. The security agent in the room with him tried to get to him to lay back down, but Kaoru just touched the back of his neck and the man went down. He did the same with the other two agents.

The sensors indicated a pattern blue blood type.

Then Kaoru's AT Field was visible – and the tape went to snow as the camera was destroyed. 

Misato leaned back in her chair. "Where's the Fifth Child now?"

"We lost track of him, Major," answered Shigeru. 

__

What caused this to happen? she thought. "Oh, this is a disaster!"

"You can say that again."

Misato spun around and saw Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Toji, Kensuke, Hikari, and a boy she'd never seen before walking towards her. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Toji, Kensuke, Hikari – you don't have clearance to get in here! And who's he?"

"I'm the guy who's going to save your lives," answered the boy. "And I _gave_ them clearance."

Ritsuko turned at the commotion. "Major Katsuragi, _what_ is going on here?"

Misato groaned and sat down. "I wish I knew, Ritsuko. I wish I knew."

Shinji turned to the boy. "Do you know what happened?"

"I'll know more if I can see that tape."

Misato sighed. "Sure. Why not? Shigeru, play the tape again."

Bardial watched the tape silently. As the footage once again turned to snow, he cursed under his breath. "Adam Sixteen is not going to like this." To Misato, he added, "I would advise launching the Evangelions right now."

"Without pilots? Why?" 

"Because that's most likely where he's heading."

That's right. The Evangelions.

Kaoru – or Tabris – stood before the large cages that contained the four Evangelion Units. A small smile appeared on his face. "You're mine again," he whispered. "All mine."

Take the Evangelions. Begin with Unit 00.

Tabris could feel the power surging through his body. Unit 00 would be easy to take – she alone contained no true soul. It would be easy to manipulate her. He reached out with his power –

Only to have it thrown back at him as Unit 00 shuddered, then shot upward through the launch bay! 

"What's happening?" he shouted as Unit 01, Unit 02, and then Unit 04 quickly followed suit.

The public announcement system suddenly crackled to life. "We're one step ahead of you, Tabris," came the taunting voice of the Angel Bardial. "Better step lively from now on."

Tabris glared at the camera he knew was there. 

He must die.

Chapter Nine

"Where is he now?" Shinji asked, leaning over Bardial's shoulder.

Bardial stared at the screen in front of him. "Looks like he's still in the cages," he answered. "I don't like this. He's too calm."

"Too calm?" muttered Asuka. "He looks like a statue."

Bardial frowned. The girl was right. "Do you have any tranquilizers?" he asked Misato quietly.

"A few," she answered. "Why?"

"I'm going after him," he replied. "Where are they?"

Misato bit her lip. "I'll get them for you."

"See anything?" 

Bardial sighed. "Nothing," he whispered into the microphone attached to his headset. "I'm coming up to the cages now. I'll contact you again when I get there."

"Okay," Misato said from the control room. "You remember how to use that tranq?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Besides, if I forget, I've got Shinji here to back me up." He glanced over his shoulder at his partner. "Right, Third Child?"

Shinji nodded. "Don't worry, Misato. We'll take care of this."

Misato muttered something under her breath, and Bardial switched off the headset. "Come on," he said. "You know the way around here better than I do. Anything I should know before we go in there?"

"Just that there are a lot of places a person could easily hide," answered Shinji. "They've been doing a bit of renovation." Suddenly he frowned. "Hey, Bardial? Something just occurred to me."

"What is it?"

"Well, Kaoru knows this place pretty well," he said. "And it was definitely obvious that the Evas were in the launch bays. He should've realized that. So why didn't he secure them first? It's easy to cancel a launch from in there if you know what you're doing. And he knows what he's doing."

Bardial lowered the tranquilizer and stared at Shinji. "Third Child, you're a genius."

"Uh, why?"

"I'll explain on the way. What's the easiest way to get above ground from here?"

"Through Central Dogma," answered Shinji. 

"Good. We'll need the First and Second as well. Come on. We've got some Evangelions to retrieve." He grabbed Shinji's arm and pulled him back in the direction they'd come from.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" complained Shinji as he let himself be dragged away.

"What's going on?" Asuka asked as Bardial and Shinji ran into Central Dogma. "Did you find him?"

Bardial shook his head. "We didn't get to the cages," he said breathlessly. "And it's probably a good thing. Which cage was closest to the door?"

"Unit 02," answered Maya. 

"I need a visual on that cage."

"Hyuga, get us into the security camera," Misato ordered. "And has anyone heard from the Commander?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. It's probably a good thing, too. If Ikari knew we were letting an Angel call the shots, he'd chew our asses off."

"On screen now," Hyuga said, connecting the camera to the viewscreen. 

Bardial looked at the cage. "That son of a . . . damn, Shinji, you may have just saved my life."

"Why?"

"That's an astral energy field," replied Bardial. "That blue and pink screen? Can't be seen through the naked eye. These cameras punch through, though. That thing could've fried me."

"How in the world was he able to create something like that?" exclaimed Ritsuko. 

Bardial glanced at Shinji, who was staring at the field in dawning horror. His eyes darted over to the Thirteenth Angel, who nodded. "I hate to say it, but Kaoru just got to be more dangerous by the minute. If he can use this type of energy, then he could make an Evangelion disintegrate with on snap."

"Wait a minute," Toji suddenly spoke up. "Where is he?"

"He's going above ground," answered Bardial. "You three --" he pointed at Rei, Asuka, and Shinji "—come with me. We need to get those Evas _out_ of there. Preferably before he gets to them."

"What about Unit 04?" Ritsuko demanded. "You can't sacrifice it. We need that Evangelion."

"I'm aware of it, Doctor," snapped Bardial. "I'm hoping Unit 04 will play Follow the Leader."

Everyone stared at him. He frowned. "What?"

"Without a pilot, Unit 04 can't do anything," Misato said. "Unless you know something we don't."

Shinji shook his head. "Bardial knows more about the units than any of us, Misato. Trust me – if he says Unit 04 will follow us, Unit 04 will follow us."

Bardial stared at the Third Child in awe. Was he actually defending him? Perhaps Adam Sixteen was wrong about these Lillims. Maybe they weren't as selfish and dimwitted as he was told. 

Suddenly Maya gasped. "Major! Someone's breached the compound!"

"Who?" demanded Misato. "Where is he?"

"In this room! In Central Dogma!"

"What?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have called first." 

We must take the Evangelions. They will help us achieve our ultimate goal.

The ultimate goal. The destruction of the Lillims and the retaking of the original world. Yes. That was the goal, the decree set by Adam One himself. 

Unit 00 was just over this rise. He would take her first. 

Then, suddenly . . . 

A sense of something disturbing. Something – dangerous. Tabris' upper lip curled back in distaste. Disgusting. 

Whatever it was, it would not stop him. 

He headed for the rise.

Chapter Ten 

The intruder was about five and a half feet tall. He had dark red hair and strange, blue eyes. And around his body was a light green glow. 

"Israfel!" Bardial exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," answered Israfel. "Adam Sixteen's orders."

Immediately Bardial's face clouded over. "What does His Royal Pain-in-the-Ass want now?"

The former Sixth Angel laughed. "He wants to clear his name. Bardial, he never put Tabris through the Right of Passage. He was going to – but someone beat him to it."

"Impossible," snapped Bardial. "No one can initiate a Right of Passage except one of Adam's line. What nonsense are you talking about, Israfel?"

Israfel shrugged. "Hey, I'm only the messenger. Another thing – there's a strange power shield around this city. Someone has arrived who doesn't belong here. We don't know who."

"I think we may," muttered Bardial. "I picked up a Darkstar not long ago."

"What's a Darkstar?" Toji cut in. "I think I asked this once before, but we were cut off."

Shinji looked drawn. "Equal to power as an Angel, delves in the astral and black arts, travels between dimensions, nasty temper, virtually insane. Does that answer your question?"

Bardial and Israfel stared at him. "You've met one, I take it," Israfel said. "First hand experience?"

"Very," replied Shinji. "Kaoru and I both had a run-in with one about a month or so ago."

Bardial drew in a sharp breath. "How did you get away?" _Did Kaoru reveal himself?_

"A few Guardians happened to be in the area," answered Shinji. "Xellos, Kyra, Marco."

"This happened a few months ago and you didn't tell me?" fumed Asuka. "You didn't tell _anyone_?"

"Be thankful he didn't, Second Child," snapped Israfel. "Trust me, the less you know about the Guardians and the Darkstars, the safer you are. Even we Angels try to steer clear of those creeps."

Kensuke frowned. "I wonder . . ."

Everyone looked at him.

"Well, could this Darkstar thing create the Right of Passage, or something like it?" 

Bardial froze, then turned to look at Israfel. "My God," he whispered. "We never even considered it. Only an Angel direct from Adam could do this, but if an ordinary Angel were to sell his soul first . . ."

"Could he have enough power?" cut in Misato.

"Yes," replied Israfel. "He could."

"Make a decision, Israfel," whispered Bardial. "Return to Adam Sixteen and make your report. Or denounce yourself and help Kaoru."

Israfel stared at his friend. "I never liked Adam Sixteen much anyway," he said. "You'll need all the brains for this one. We're going to need the Evangelions."

"Exactly," agreed Bardial. "Come on. Let's get out there." He turned to the group assembled. "Anyone who thinks they can help, follow us."

There she was, in all her glory. Unit 00. The first successful Evangelion. Not the first to activate, of course, but the first to be built without problems. 

Tabris moved towards her with absolute certainty that he would succeed. Nothing would stop him now.

Just a few more feet to go before he reached her . . . 

Suddenly an unearthly force shoved him backwards, causing him to land on his back. He opened his eyes and stared up at the mecha. "Don't deny me," he whispered. "This is your destiny."

He again attempted to approach the Eva, and was again pushed back. "Stop this," he snarled. "I have the power to break you. Don't make me do it."

The AT field around Unit 00 grew in strength.

Tabris' eyes flashed dangerously. "Very well," he whispered. "This is your fault, you know."

Closing his eyes, he whispered a strange language.

The AT Field was destroyed immediately, and as he forcefully gained control of the Eva, her scream filled the air around her. 

Shinji stopped dead in his tracks as the inhuman scream ripped into his eardrums. Beside him, Asuka jumped about ten feet in the air, and Rei covered her ears with hers hands, clenching her eyes shut in pain. "What was _that_?" 

Misato glanced over at Bardial. "That sounded like an Evangelion."

Bardial nodded, his jaw clenched tightly. "We're too late," he whispered. "He's already gotten one."

"Which Evangelion was launched into that general area?" Ritsuko asked Hyuga. 

"Unit 00," he replied. 

She sighed with relief. "Good, it was 01 or 04."

Misato whirled around to face her. "Good? _Good?_ Do you remember what happened the last time he got a hold of Unit 02? If it hadn't been for his last minute change of heart, we could've all been destroyed."

Ritsuko was impassive. "A minor miscalculation. We didn't know he was an Angel."

Shinji had had enough. "Shut up, both of you!" he snapped, not even turning to face them. "God, you're acting like a couple of two-year-olds! The main problem here is that Kaoru has Unit 00. We need to get to the other three before he does, and he's got a head start. So we're going to need all the resources we can get. 

"We need to fly."

Tabris stood on the shoulder of Unit 00 and looked down at the city of Tokyo-3. A small smile curled on his lips. All those people – fools. They had no idea that now they were his. He owned them, owned their very lives. None of them had the power to resist him. 

He clenched his fists and began conjuring up his first spell. Oh, the power he had! When he'd been cast into the netherworld after Kaoru Nagisa had gone over to the Lillims, he'd thought of nothing but revenge. And thanks to the Master, he had the power to finally achieve it. Nothing was going to stop him now.

"Flare Arrow," he whispered, pointing at a particularly high building. It happened to be right next to the school, now overcrowded with spectators watching a basketball game.

The line of fire flew directly for the rooftop. 

Suddenly a wrenching pain filled his head, and he let out a gasp as, completely on its own, his hand fired a Freeze Arrow, immediately intercepting and overcoming the previous spell.

Before he had a chance to ponder over what had just happened, he caught sight of a large shadow in the sky – heading directly towards Unit 01.

"Bardial," he snarled. "We must beat him. Let's go, girl."

Unit 00 began following the shadow.

"Are you sure you know how to fly?" Asuka called over the rush of wind whipping around her. "I mean, have you ever done this before?"

"I'm a shape-shifter," Bardial called back. "Of course I've flown before."

Israfel grinned at Asuka. "Bardial here has four favorite shapes – the Lillim shape, which he's in a lot; the form of Evangelion Unit 03, which comes in handy in combat situations; for underwater, he prefers an orca whale; and last but certainly not least, he loves to take the form of a pheonix and fly around."

Toji sighed and leaned back on his elbows. "Sounds good to me," he commented. "I like flying."

Hikari couldn't agree. "I'd rather have two feet on the ground," she muttered. 

Shinji was peering over the side of Bardial's back. "There's Unit 01," he called.

"I see it," answered the Angel. "Okay, hang on everyone. Rei, why don't you put in a call to Major Katsuragi on the ground. Tell them we're going to try activating – shit."

Kensuke arched an eyebrow. "Try activating _what?_"

"Israfel, get your butt in gear, buddy. We've got company. Starboard."

Israfel – and everyone else – immediately looked over the side. "It's Kaoru," he confirmed. "And he's got Unit 00. He's moving fast – he'll beat us if we don't get down there."

"No time to land," agreed Bardial. "Shinji, you're going to have to do this the hard way. I'll drop you off and then take Asuka to Unit 02 and Rei to 04."

"If there's no time to land, how are you going to drop him off?" demanded Asuka. Then the realization washed over her. "You're crazy."

Shinji took a deep breath. "No time to argue. Bardial, get as low as you can without being in Kaoru's range. I'll try for the shoulder."

"Right." Bardial tipped his left wing, turning himself into a circle. "Uh, Is? An AT Field would be helpful here."

"Don't you have one?" asked Kensuke.

"Only when I'm slime. Okay, Shinji. This is as close as I'm going to be able to get. Good luck."

Shinji took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll see you guys later," he said, glancing back at his friends.

"You better," whispered Asuka. 

She looked like she wanted to say more, but Bardial cut in. "Do it now, Third Child, or we'll never get out of here."

Shinji closed his eyes, took another deep breath, opened his eyes, and jumped.

Shinji hit the hard metal almost immediately, his knees absorbing most of the impact. Sucking in a deep breath of air, he ignored the pain in his kneecaps and grabbed the metals rungs leading up to the entry plug. Thank God they'd decided to put in this emergency ladder. 

It was rough climbing, since his legs were almost going numb, but Shinji managed to make it to top of the plug. Opening a hidden panel, he activated the manual eject codes and waited for the plug to slowly unscrew itself. 

Once he'd managed to get himself seated more of less comfortably in the cockpit, he worked on trying to activate the Eva. "Come on," he muttered. "Work, you stupid piece of junk. Work!" He couldn't see anything outside, but he could definitely hear the sound of Unit 00 making its way steadily towards him.

"Come on!" he shouted. "Work, dammit!" Growling low in his throat, Shinji did something he didn't normally do: Lose complete control of his temper.

Taking a deep breath, he kicked out at the controls in front of him, his left foot connecting squarely with the Dummy Plug equipment. 

Unit 01 shuddered once.

Then, suddenly, Shinji was connected.

Tabris stared as the eyes of Unit 01 suddenly flared to life. "Impossible," he whispered. "That thing should be completely dormant. Completely!"

The Evangelion took a step forward, then another one, its gaze focused entirely on Unit 00. "Tear her apart," ordered Tabris.

Unit 00 began moving forward.

Suddenly Unit 01 shot forward at its top speed, sailed over Unit 00's head with a huge leap, spun around and grabbed Tabris off the other Evas shoulder. 

"I should rip you apart," Shinji snarled through Unit 01's intercom so that Tabris could hear what he was saying. "How could you betray us like that? We trusted you, Kaoru! How could you just throw it all away like that?"

The Third Child doesn't realize, thought Tabris. He smiled inwardly. This is perfect.

"Sorry, Third Child," Tabris said indifferently. "You should know better than to trust an Angel. I thought you humans already knew that."

The hand tightened around his body, and suddenly Tabris realized that Shinji might just be pissed off enough to snap him in half. That would not be a good thing.

Stop him, Tabris commanded.

Unit 00 spun around and grabbed Unit 01's arm. With a muffled roar, she twisted it sharply to the right, snapping it and releasing the death grip Shinji had on Tabris. Shinji let out a gasp and deep within the entry plug, he grabbed his aching arm and tried to remind himself that it was the Eva, not himself, who had been damaged. 

"Destroy him," crowed Tabris.

Unit 00 reached towards her shoulder and removed her progressive knife, still managing to maintain a tight hold on her opponent.

A shadow fell over Tabris, there was a bright flash of vibrating steel, and suddenly the hand that held the knife over Unit 01 fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that," Asuka said, grabbing Unit 00 and throwing her to the ground, "but nobody messes with my boyfriend."

Unit 02 turned towards Tabris. "And that includes you."

It was a showdown of nerves. Tabris and Unit 00, surrounded by Units 01 and 02, and landing at that moment the monstrous pheonix that was Bardial. Already Israfel was shedding his Lillim form and taking the appearance of the Sixth Angel.

"You won't kill me," Tabris said with confidence.

"Don't bet on it," Asuka hissed. "You know me, Kaoru. You know my temper. You really think I won't kill you? That I won't tear you apart with my hands? If that's true, than you're a fool."

"Big talk for a weak being," sneered Tabris. "You humans are all alike. All talk and no action. It's a wonder your race as survived this long."

Unit 00 began picking herself up off the ground, and Tabris moved calmly over to her. "We'll be leaving now, I believe," he said calmly. 

Bardial snapped his beak. "You think we'll let you get away?" he screeched.

"I very much think so," assured Tabris. "Restrain him."

"What?" Bardial barely had time to react before Israfel spun around and slammed one huge fist into his face. Bardial barely had a minute to realize what had happened before he fell unconscious. Asuka and Shinji froze, not quite believing what had just happened.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that Israfel works for me?" Tabris smiled. "Silly me."

"We can't leave witnesses, Tabris," Israfel said. "These Units are useless to us now."

Tabris shook his head. "Not entirely useless. Second and Third Children – abandon your Evangelions immediately."

"Why should we?" snarled Asuka.

"Because if you don't, my friend here will fry yours," replied Tabris. "As we speak, Israfel's other half is keeping them at bay. But we did bring one for assurance."

"Rei!" Shinji shouted as the First Child appeared on the ground, unconscious. "What did you do to her?"

Tabris rolled his eyes. "She's alive, for now. But she won't be if you don't exit those Units – NOW!"

Asuka muttered something under her breath, but began to eject her plug. Shinji was silent.

"Don't do it, Asuka," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Just listen to me," he continued. "We can't let him have the Evangelions. He's got Unit 00, he's probably got Unit 04, we can't let him have 02 and 01."

"But he's got Rei and Hikari, and those idiots you call friends! He'll kill them all."

"He's not getting the Evangelions."

Tabris narrowed his eyes. "I'm not bluffing, human." He pointed a finger at Rei's prone form. "_Fireball_."

The fireball shot towards Rei . . .

Shinji held his breath . . . 

Then, seconds before impact, it exploded.

Tabris froze. "Impossible," he whispered. 

"Not really." 

They were no longer on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. 

They were now in a strange, surreal landscape. Purple ground, black sky with silver streaks racing through. In the distance, a weird glowing mass of what appeared to be buildings.

The Evangelions were gone, but Shinji and Asuka remained. Israfel and Bardial were returned to their Lillim forms. Rei was between Shinji and Asuka, just now waking up. And Toji, Kensuke, and Hikari popped in suddenly, looking a little stunned and a little scared.

"The astral plane," whispered Bardial, looking around. "How did we get here?"

Tabris' eyes flashed. "It doesn't matter. I'll kill you here just as easily. _Flare Arrow!_"

"_Freeze Arrow!_"

The two spells collided and disappeared.

Tabris looked around wildly. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

"I am the being you claim to be," came the reply. "Condemned to the astral plane until such a time when I can regain the shell that is rightfully mine. You made a mistake, Tabris. You claimed to be from Adam Sixteen. You revealed yourself, not knowing that I could hear, see, and sense everything. 

"Earth is my home, the humans are my people, and when you try to destroy me and mine, you have to pay the consequences."

Shinji and Bardial connected gazes. Then, with one swift movement, Bardial dove in front of the small group and threw up his AT Field. 

"You don't move!" Tabris shouted, raising his arm to cast another spell.

"Screw you, Tabris," shouted Bardial. "You've lost!" 

"Who's going to stop me? Some surreal voice that has no form?"

"Form? I will show you form."

Tabris stared as a powerful orange appeared before him, slowly taking shape.

"Power of Jasper, Come Into My Hand!"

"What's going on?" shouted Misato as the alarms began going off in the middle of Central Dogma. "Maya, what's the status on the Evangelions?"

Maya spun around in her chair. "Unit 04 is going berserk!" she cried. "The synch ratios – they're off the charts. And there isn't even a pilot!"

"Status on the other three?"

Hyuga shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever control Kaoru had on Unit 00, it's gone. All three are silent. Major, Unit 01 and Unit 02 are without pilots."

"And there's no sign of the Angels," added Shigeru. "They've completely disappeared."

Misato turned to look at Ritsuko. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded. "Was this expected?"

Ritsuko stood rigidly, staring at the readouts as they came in. "No," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "This was never supposed to happen."

Suddenly Hyuga grew grim. "Major, there's a priority one message coming in from Commander Ikari. What should I tell him?"

Misato groaned and leaned against a computer console. "I don't know, Hyuga. Make something up. But don't tell him the truth." She glanced over at Ritsuko, waiting to see if she'd object. The doctor just stood there, saying nothing. Then, slowly, she sighed.

"If he knows we joined with Angels, he'll fire us all," she said. "Tell him nothing, Hyuga. Cut the transmission. We'll blame it on interference."

Misato looked at her friend in amazement.

Chapter Eleven

It was the ultimate staredown.

On one side, Tabris. An irritated look on his face, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, looking like one wrong move and he'd blow himself and everyone around him to Kingdomcome. 

On the other side, clad entirely in orange armor, a person identical to Tabris. But there were obvious differences, of course: The coolness of his attitude, the monotonous expression on his face that portrayed none of his feelings, the casual way he gripped the Staff in his hand, and the fact that you could see right through him, like a ghost. 

"Who is that?" Rei whispered as Kensuke helped her into a sitting position.

Bardial shook his head in amazement. "That's the Jasper Guardian," he said. "The whole time we thought – God, I hate being right. It _was_ a Darkstar."

"But . . . he looks just like Kaoru," Hikari said in confusion.

"I suppose you have an answer for that, too?" Asuka looked at Bardial.

He nodded. "It was never Kaoru. It was Tabris. Kaoru's alternate persona – the other half of him. As the Angel of Free Will, he had that quality. The side of good, the side of evil, both constantly battling it out. When one is in control, the other is trapped in the astral plane. As the Jasper Guardian, Kaoru was able to keep Tabris a bay, but something must have let his guard down."

Shinji nodded, then focused on the two figures in front of him. "What's going to happen now?"

"Shh," said Rei. "Listen."

"This is my territory now, Tabris," Kaoru said softly. "You're probably wondering how I managed to fight your control."

"Actually, I could care less," snarled Tabris. "Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of here."

"You can't," Kaoru replied. "Not with the barriers I wove. You think an AT Field is bad? You haven't seen anything until you've seen a Guardian barrier."

"You're not entirely here," sneered Tabris. "You're using all your reserve power to project this image of yourself. You can't fight me."

A secretive smile appeared on Kaoru's face. "Oh, really? Care to test that theory?"

"You don't have the guts. You never did."

Kaoru closed his eyes and muttered something to himself. Tabris arched an eyebrow. "What're going to do – talk me to death?"

"_Flow Break_."

Shinji, Asuka, Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, Bardial, and Israfel stared in shock as Kaoru and Tabris both disappeared – and they were suddenly transported back to the real world. 

"What happened?" Toji asked, looking around in confusion.

Bardial looked up from where he was busy pinning Israfel to the ground. "Kaoru took them to another battlefield," he said. "I think. I don't know much about Shamanist magic. I'm not even sure that _was_ Shamanist magic. Some Guardians have been known to use other things. But he's on his own now. There's nothing we can do to help him."

Shinji bit his lip. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Tabris looked around wildly. "Where have you brought me?" he shouted. "What sort of fresh hell is this?"

Kaoru's voice surrounded him. "This is your hell. This is the hell you will be condemned to – the hell you condemned _me_ to. That vision of the astral plane was merely an illusion." He appeared before Tabris, looking as solid as his other self. "This is where the real battle will take place."

Tabris curled his lip back, snarling loudly. "You think you can fight me and win? You destroy this body, you'll have nothing to return to! You'll die as well!"

Kaoru stared back, unblinking. "Death would be better than letting a monster like you inhabit what is mine."

A cruel smile twisted on Tabris' lips. "You fool. You die now, it'll be years before another Jasper Guardian arises! One per generation, remember? Until you create the next astral generation, there will be no successor!"

"Perhaps," said Kaoru. "Perhaps not. Care to put it to the test?" He held his Staff in his hand and crouched down in a battle stance.

Tabris laughed derisively. "It'll be no contest."

Bardial stared at Unit 04, now frozen in a crouching position. It stared straight ahead, resting on one knee with its hands touching the ground in front of it. But what caught everyone's eye was the unearthly glow surrounding the gray metal – the golden glow that had matched the appearance in Kaoru's eyes.

Shinji drew in a sharp breath, then walked up next to the Angel. "You knew, didn't you?" he asked in a low voice. 

"If you're asking if I knew Kaoru was the Jasper Guardian, yes," Bardial said. "If you're asking if I knew that he'd been overtaken by Tabris, I suspected it but had no proof."

"Guess we have all the proof we need," Shinji muttered. "There must be something we can do."

Bardial frowned and turned his gaze back to the group behind them. "Tabris is still an Angel, in blood," he murmured. "There may be something I can do. Watch him, okay?" He pointed at Israfel. 

"I'll do it," Toji offered. He got up from where he was sitting next to Hikari, walked over to the cowering Angel, grabbed his arm and twisted sharply. "There are added benefits to prosthesis," he said, grinning. 

Bardial nodded. "I'll be back." There was a flash of light, and then he was gone.

Suddenly Israfel started screaming in pain. Toji looked at him in amazement. "I didn't do anything," he muttered in confusion.

Israfel managed to calm down long enough to eek out a response. "It's the astral energy," he whimpered. "It's ripping through the world."

"_Flare Arrow!_"

Kaoru dove to one side as the streak of fire shot towards him.

"_Freeze Arrow!_"

A quick roll to in the other direction, and he was able to avoid being turned into a Kaorusicle. 

"_Flare Arrow!_"

Okay, this is getting predictable. He dodged the spell again, then went on the offensive. Rolling to his knees, he lowered his Staff onto the ground and closed his eyes.

"Giving up?" sneered Tabris.

"Maybe . . . not." Kaoru looked up. "_Blam Blazer!_"

Tabris' eyes widened as the spell hit him straight in the face, shoving his head over heels several times until he came to a stop fifteen feet away. 

"_Dug Haut!_"

Next came the large stone spikes growing out of the earth. These caught Tabris offguard, and he just barely managed to keep from being pierced through the stomach. Instead he grabbed the spire and held on as it grew.

"Since when are you that powerful?" he snarled. "I'm the one with the power!"

"And I'm the one with the Jasper!" shouted Kaoru. "Whatever astral power the Darkstars granted you doesn't even begin to compare with mine!"

"Bastard," hissed Tabris. "You forget – Darkstars may feed on astral energy, but they're made of ancient magic as well. Something you have no contact with."

"_Ray Wing_," Kaoru whispered as Tabris fired off a spell he'd never heard of. Rather than take the chance of his barrier being destroyed, Kaoru strengthened it with his AT Field and used the Ray Wing to rise up out of the range of the spell.

"Stay still!" screamed Tabris, his temper – and his sanity – reaching the breaking point. "Stay still, damn you! Do as I say! I'm your master!"

"I answer only to the Astral Dancer," taunted Kaoru. "You want that to change, take it up with her. But you'll probably just end up with a one way ticket to the Diamond."

Tabris let out an enraged roar – and suddenly Kaoru felt his stomach do a backflip. That was definitely not a normal roar.

A black sheen appeared around Tabris' body. Kaoru watched in undisguised horror as his fingers melted into three claws, and green scales covered his entire body. Similar claws appeared on his feet, and a large, scorpion-like tail grew from his spine. Long fangs grew from his upper jaw, and a forked tongue snaked in and out of his mouth. His hair disappeared, and was replaced by huge caribou horns. 

It was a form Kaoru knew all too well. What once had been his Angel form was now a Darkstar mutation – and Tabris had just tripled in power. 

"Ssssee why it'ssss a bad idea to get me angry?" hissed the Darkstar.

Chapter Twelve

__

What's going on? Shinji thought frantically. 

The eerie glow surrounding Unit 04 had suddenly gotten three times brighter than it had been a second ago. 

"What's going on?" Asuka whispered, echoing Shinji's thoughts. She clenched his hand tightly. "Why is Unit 04 the only one reacting to this?"

"Because it's tied to Kaoru," snapped Israfel. "Geez, are you Lillim _that_ ignorant?" He let out a yelp as Toji gave his arm another twist. "If I weren't so weakened by that energy I'd blast you with an AT Field," he snarled. 

"But you are, so you can't," growled Toji. "Now shut up before I have to break your _other_ arm."

"Hold on, Toji," Shinji said, turning to look at Israfel. "What was that you were saying, about Unit 04 being tied to Kaoru?"

"I won't talk until Suzie here gets off my back." Toji snaked an arm around his neck and tightened his grip. Israfel let of a gasp and quickly reconsidered. "I mean, sure, I'll tell you anything."

"Back off, Toji," Kensuke advised. "He can't tell us anything if he's unconscious."

Toji glared at Kensuke, but relented when Hikari glared at him. "Talk, creep," he hissed.

Israfel obviously didn't have much strength about him, since he barely moved once Toji had backed off. "Okay, listen. I was one of three Angels who created the initial plans for the Evangelions."

"Yeah, we know that," snapped Asuka. "Bardial and Kaoru were the other two."

"Bardial and Tabris," corrected Israfel, then flinched under the six glares. "Anyway. We designed it so that each unit could be piloted, but it had to be a specific pilot. To ensure ultimate synchronization, a soul was to be placed into the core of each Evangelion. It had to be a soul connected to the pilot, and that the only way you could synchronize was to identify with the soul."

"Bardial told me this already," Shinji said.

"He didn't tell us," Asuka said.

Shinji winced. "Yeah, well, there was a reason for that. Namely that you, Rei, and Toji have tempers that can really flare up. You easily, Rei not so much, but this is definitely something that would rile all of you."

"Then you know the souls," Israfel said, letting out a low whistle. "That'll make this explanation easier. Deep within the core of Unit 04 exists the soul of Tarala, the mother of Tabris – or Kaoru Nagisa, as you call him. She is what enables Kaoru to synchronize and activate Unit 04."

Toji frowned. "You mean that thing is Kaoru's mother?"

"In spirit, yes."

"Commander Ikari uses human souls to pilot these Evas?" Hikari asked, amazed. 

"He's not even aware of it," Israfel said. "That was one thing we never put in the Dead Sea Scrolls. But he inadvertantly did so. The first test pilots on Units 00 through 02 all had – mysterious accidents."

"Meaning?"

Shinji drew in a deep breath. "Okay. The same test pilot was used on both Unit 00 and Unit 01— sort of. Unit 01's test pilot was absorbed into the Evangelion. Kind of like I was, you know? Then, again, Unit 00 was activated using a sort of catalyst – and identical essence that was absorbed into 00's core, making Unit 01 and Unit 00 almost perfectly compatable."

"You have been talking to Bardial about this," murmured Israfel. "I'm impressed."

"But . . ." Asuka was obviously troubled by something. "The first test pilot for Unit 01 – wasn't that you're mother?"

Shinji nodded. "Yes. My mother exists in Unit 01, and some of her exists in Unit 00 as well."

"What about Unit 02 and 03?"

Israfel looked at Shinji. "Well, Third Child? Care to continue?"

"Unit 02's first test pilot suffered a similar accident. While her physical body wasn't absorbed, much of her mind was, leaving her dangerously unstable. She was placed in a psychiatric ward in Germany, and killed herself shortly after," said Shinji. "Her mind remains in Unit 02 today, and enables Asuka to pilot."

Asuka stared at Shinji in stony silence. "That . . . but . . . what are you saying?"

"He's saying that your dear old ma went crazy trying to pilot Unit 02, and now she exists as a mere shadow in its core," Israfel said bluntly. "Unit 03 was something of an enigma. While the actual body was created not long ago in America, its core was made in Japan. Same as Unit 04, only her core was made by us Angels personally. The core was tested in prototype shells, and the test pilot was also absorbed." He looked mockingly at Toji. "I believe you were around four years old at the time. Lost a mother then, didn't you? Fill in the pattern, Suzie."

Toji narrowed his eyes. "You lying bastard!" he shouted, lunging for Israfel.

Kensuke and Hikari grabbed him just in time. Shinji took a shuddering breath and looked at Asuka, who was trying not to let her emotions show. 

Rei, who had been paying attention and was slowly fuming deep inside, broke the silence. "Look," she said. "Something's happening."

Everyone stopped and turned to look at Unit 04. "My God," Kensuke breathed as the chest plate began twisting and stretching, revealing the core deep inside. The red globe was pulsing. "What's happening now?"

Israfel stared, wide-eyed. "I don't believe it," he whispered. "It's hatching."

"_Hatching?_"

Kaoru twirled his Staff around in his hand, keeping his eyes straight ahead and entirely focused on Tabris.

Tabris flicked his tongue and narrowed his beady eyes at Kaoru. The only bad thing about this form was the overbearing hunger – but upon thinking of that and looking at his quarry, he was beginning to think that wasn't so bad after all.

Guardian and Darkstar faced off against each other.

And then the darkness began to shake.

A large crack formed in the core of Unit 04. On the main screen in Central Dogma, Misato stared in utter silence and a white light began to seep from the crack, misty and pulsing like a strobe light.

"Get me a reading on that," Ritsuko said, her voice not quite controlled. Almost as if it were speaking on its own accord, and Ritsuko had nothing to do with it.

"Nothing's working, Dr. Akagi," Hyuga said, his own voice mirroring hers. "All the equipment is down."

"Don't be afraid, Major Katsuragi." Misato turned slightly and saw Bardial and another, unfamiliar figure standing off to the side. Judging from the figure's eyes, he was most likely an Angel as well.

"What's going on, Bardial?" she asked.

Bardial glanced at the person next to him, who nodded slightly. "Just watch, Major. Just watch."

Misato turned back to the screen and watched as the light, now a floating orb, began to take shape.

Suddenly the light orb broke into three parts.

Two of them took shape. A large demonic-looking wolf/lizard thing, and an armor-clad teenager.

"It's Kaoru!" Shinji shouted. It was the only way he could be heard by the raging wind that had started up.

Tabris floated there, stunned and dazed. Then he snapped himself out of it, and realized that his victim floating unconscious only a few feet away. Growling softly, he snickered to himself. "Come into my parlor, sssaid the ssspider to the fly," he whispered. "You're mine, Fifth Child!" He shot forward, claws and fangs outstretched and ready to chew.

At the last second, Kaoru twisted out of the way and slammed his Staff into Tabris' chest.

Tabris let out a choked gasp. "But . . .how . . .?"

"I can fly, too, you bastard," Kaoru whispered. "_Reseek eht._" 

A ethereal orange glow filled Tabris, taking over his shape, blocking out features, making him a solid color. There was a flash, and then he was gone.

Kaoru was left floating in mid-air, breathing heavily and completely unaware of the loud cheers that were going up below him, and within Central Dogma as well. Then, as if snapped out of his reverie, he picked out two voices from the screaming crowd. Shinji. Rei.

But it wasn't just their voices that caught his attention. It was what they were saying.

"Behind you!"

Kaoru spun around – and the third orb, the final orb, surrounded him.

Chapter Thirteen

He was floating in a bright white void. It was so bright, it should've hurt for him to open his eyes – but it didn't he was able to look right into the whiteness without squinting or trying to cover his eyes.

He couldn't move. Every inch of his body was frozen, as if he had been tied down by hundreds of little cables. 

And then . . . a strange warmth filled him. It was as if he'd been in a snowstorm for three years, and then all of a sudden he'd been transported to Jamaica or Hawaii or the Bahamas – someplace very warm.

ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, MY SON?

Son?

HAVE THEY BEEN TREATING YOU ALL RIGHT?

Kaoru fought for the words to speak, but his voice refused to work. His mind refused to work as well. Then, suddenly, he was seeing pictures around him. Memories. Feelings. There was the hurt and anguish of not being trusted by everyone at NERV. And then there was the numbing away of those feelings as he got to know Shinji, and through Shinji came Rei, and Toji, and Asuka, and Hikari, and Kensuke.

GOOD BOY. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HAPPY. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THOSE OTHERS, THE ONES WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE MISSING. CONCENTRATE ON THE FRIENDS YOU HAVE – YOU'LL SURVIVE AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THEM. BE GOOD, MY DEAR, SWEET KAORU. MY ANGEL OF THE SEASHORE. BE GOOD.

And then the light was gone, and so was the voice. Kaoru was lying on his back, near Unit 04's foot. He knew his friends would come to him soon. 

With a small smile on his face, he closed his eyes. 

Thanks, Mom.

Bardial looked at the figure next to him. "That went well, I suppose," he said. "What are you going to do with Israfel?"

His companion sighed. "I suppose I'll have to turn him over to my brother. Adam Sixteen can take care of him."

Bardial nodded. "You know what, Seventeen? I think we did good here. Now if we could only make some headway in the actual resistance."

Adam Seventeen nodded. The danger for these brave humans wasn't over yet – but so long as they had the Angelic Resistance keeping an eye on things above, he knew they'd make it out alive. "I have to hand it to him," he said. "The Guardians really are something amazing."

Taking one last look at the crowd in Central Dogma, and then at the screen in front of them, the two Angels slipped out of the room and returned to the strange, heavenly world they had come from.

Epilogue

A few weeks after this little adventure of mine, I found a package outside my door. It was addressed not to Kaoru Nagisa, or Tabris, but to the Jasper Guardian. There was no return address, and no postage stamp. It had been hand delivered.

All that it contained was a little index card. There were words written on it, in gold script. They said: 'Keep the faith.' It was signed A17. 

It didn't take a genius to figure out who had sent it. 

There are going to be some hard times ahead of me, but I have a feeling I'll be able to get through it. I have Shinji, and Rei, and Bardial, and now I have the entire Angelic Resistance backing me up. That's enough to make a person feel like he can do anything.

And I have my mother. A mother I never knew, but who fights alongside me every time I climb into that entry plug. 

Yeah, I'll make it. 

Count on it.

****

Author's Notes: First in a spin-off series of my crossover series **Astral Dancer**. The first thing a reader may notice is that this definitely does not follow the timeline of Neon Genesis Evangelion. After all, didn't Kaoru Nagisa die in episode 24? I'm aware of this, ladies and gentlemen, and for the record, this will all be adjusted in an upcoming story. I did this on purpose.

I would much appreciate reviews telling me what you think. If no one reviews this story (and likes it) I won't post the second in the series.

For now, here's a preview:

Next on:

THE JASPER SAGA

Unraveled Destiny

Ever since he became a Guardian, Kaoru knew that he was different from the others in his line of work. He wasn't as powerful. He couldn't do as many things. He had trouble with common spells. 

Now he wants to know why. He'll stop at nothing until he gets the answers he wants . . . but can he really handle the truth?


	3. Rising Sun

****

The Leopardstone Saga #1

Rising Sun

Prologue

I used to be just a nameless gargoyle. One of a huge clan that lived back before the turn of the millennium. The _first_ millennium.

Then I was placed under a spell that put me in a stone sleep for a thousand years. When I woke up, I got a name. Brooklyn. But that was all.

Shortly after that, though, Goliath chose me to his second-in-command. So now I was Brooklyn, second-in-command of the New York clan.

And a few years after _that_, I became Brooklyn, second-in-command of the New York clan and the 63rd Generation Leopardstone Guardian. Now I not only get to protect the city of New York, I get to protect the entire world. 

But I don't complain. Maybe it's because, while no one's supposed to know who I am, someone does. And let me tell you, when you don't have to go through some of this stuff by yourself – it's worth it. Really worth it.

Chapter One

"Brooklyn, you've got to concentrate," Demona was saying for the thirteenth thousand time. "You've been complaining that you can't work your spells right lately – it's because you can't concentrate. Just what are you thinking about, anyway?"

Brooklyn was seriously beginning to regret the fact that he had asked Demona for help with his recent magic misfiring. Twice he'd tried trapping a Darkstar – and twice his spells had backfired on him. Out of the two mortals who knew his identity, Demona was the only sorceress. 

She was right, though. He _wasn't_ concentrating? And he couldn't very well tell her why. Somehow, he didn't think she'd be pleased to hear that the reason his attention kept wandering was because her daughter happened to be standing in the same room as them.

Angela would be the second mortal to know about him. Brooklyn had been attracted to the young female since she'd arrived in Manhattan, but she'd turned her affections to his rookery brother, Broadway.

A month earlier, though, Broadway had had an unfortunate run-in with a cyborg assassin sent to kill Brooklyn. He hadn't survived. It had all but crushed Angela, although she was beginning to come out of it. Helping Brooklyn with his Guardian duties was a pretty decent distraction. The Leopardstone Guardian was incredibly relieved that she didn't seem to hold him responsible for her boyfriend's death. And Brooklyn hadn't pushed anything in the meantime.

"Brooklyn!" Demona's Scottish accent jolted him out of his thoughts and forced him to turn his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Sorry, Demona," he said sheepishly. "I'll pay better attention from now on."

Demona rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I can obviously see we're not going to get much more done tonight. Why don't you take a break? We'll continue tomorrow night."

"You sure?"

"Trust me, I don't want to try anything with you in this state. I'd be afraid for my own life." Demona smiled at him, to let him know that there were no hard feelings. "Just be ready tomorrow."

Brooklyn nodded and wiped his brow with a towel. "Thanks, Demona," he said. Sighing, he checked the clock on the wall. "Uh oh. I better get going if I'm going to get in a patrol today." Brooklyn had two types of patrol – clan and Guardian. He had to plan his Guardian patrols carefully, since he couldn't risk running into another member of the clan. The last thing he needed was Lexington or Goliath seeing him working magic.

"I'll go with you," Angela said, moving away from the wall. "You'll need someone to watch your back."

"Great," he said enthusiastically. "Catch you later, Demona."

The rogue just shook her head. "You two be careful," she said, but her words were lost as the two hurried out of the room. "Be very careful," she whispered.

"See anything?" asked Angela as she glided up next to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn sighed. "Nothing. It's dead quiet down there."

"Dead quiet," she muttered. "How appropriate."

Brooklyn was about to laugh, when the Leopardstone hanging from his neck flared to life. "Aw, man," he said, skidding to a hover. "Here we go."

"Where is it?" asked Angela. 

Brooklyn closed his eyes and zeroed in on the site. They sprang open. "The roof of Elisa's apartment building."

"What?" Angela came to a hovering stop and looked at him. "We gotta go stop him. This is Elisa's night off – and my father went over to see her!"

Brooklyn cursed out loud. "Hold on. We'll be there in two seconds." 

"How?"

He grabbed her hand. "Leopardstone."

"Angela, stay back!" Brooklyn snapped. "The last thing we need is Goliath seeing you. Don't come out unless I tell you to."

"Right." Angela knew better than to argue. 

Brooklyn checked to make sure there was nothing blocking his path to Elisa's balcony door. He checked his speed, dipped and turned slightly to the right. He dove straight for the glass door. Then, using every ounce of concentration he had, he doubled himself into a ball and cast a spell of protection around him. 

He shot through the glass, shards bouncing harmlessly off his shield. Elisa's door lay on the floor, the walls scratched up, and Brooklyn could hear the sounds of a gargoyle doing battle in the hallway. Then Elisa's voice cut through, yelling at everyone to get back in their apartments and stay out of the way. Take your own advice, Elisa, thought Brooklyn.

He dove into the hallway, Staff in hand. 

Goliath was locked in hand-to-hand combat with a strange-looking Darkstar – not that it mattered to Brooklyn, since all he needed was to trap the darn thing. Only he couldn't do that with Goliath attached to it like that.

"Yo, tall, dark, and gruesome!" Brooklyn shouted, his face mask blocking his face and masking his voice. 

The Darkstar shoved Goliath away and spun around, obviously repulsed by the appearance of a Guardian. Fortunately, he seemed to be a newbie – he didn't seem to understand why Brooklyn was just standing there like he was.

"You are an idiot, aren't you?" Brooklyn snickered. He held out his Staff. "Come here, Darky. _Etamtilu ksir._"

A look of utter confusion crossed the Darkstar, then a strange smile crossed his face. A second later he was locked in the gem. "Yes," muttered Brooklyn. "Looks like my losing streak is over."

Suddenly the gem began to glow brighter than usual. A strange black sheen covered the Leopardstone pattern. "Oh, no."

A burst of astral energy shot out from the gem, and Brooklyn felt himself get knocked backwards. He went through Elisa's wall, through the broken balcony – and then there was nothing.

I'm going to die, he realized as he lost complete consciousness. 

"What happened?" Brooklyn murmured as he opened his eyes wearily. "Am I dead?"

A vaguely familiar voice laughed. "No, you're not dead, Brooklyn. But you came very close."

Brooklyn's eyes sprang open. "_Coldsteel?_"

Sure enough, kneeling next to him was none other than Coldsteel himself. Looking to his right, Brooklyn could see Coldfire leaning up against the wall next to a worried-looking Demona. "You were lucky, Brooklyn," Demona said. "Coldsteel and Coldfire just happened to be in the neighborhood."

"How long was I out?" 

"About ten hours," replied Coldfire. "You're in Xanatos' infirmary."

"Ten hours," Brooklyn murmured. Suddenly he gasped. "But that would make it . . .!"

"One o' clock in the afternoon," replied Xanatos as he walked into the room. "Which means that we've suddenly found ourselves in a very peculiar situation."

For the first time, Brooklyn noticed that Demona was, indeed, human. He let out a groan. "Oi," he moaned. "What have I gotten myself into now?"

Twenty minutes later, Brooklyn had managed to regain enough of his strength to sit down in a large armchair. "So that's what happened," he said, explaining how he'd been knocked out. "How's Goliath and Elisa?"

"Goliath is sleeping it off," replied Demona, "and Elisa is staying with her parents while her apartment is being fixed."

Brooklyn glanced at Demona and Owen, who had come to join them. "What are we going to tell Xanatos and the others?" he asked. "You can't exactly hide that I haven't changed to stone."

"Never mind that right now," said Owen. "I'll take care of it. What happened was that Demona was trying out a new spell and it backfired, causing you to be shielded from turning to stone."

"Angela won't buy it," said Brooklyn.

"Angela doesn't have to be deceived, " answered Demona. "The others must. In the meantime, we'll have to figure out what happened – if it's necessary."

"What do you mean, if it's necessary?" demanded Brooklyn. 

"This could be a temporary thing," answered Owen. "Chances are you'll return to stone tomorrow. If not, then we have a new problem on our hands."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said, nodding. "Recent experiences have told me that when the world suddenly takes a turn for the strange, trouble _can't_ be far behind."

Being a gargoyle, I've naturally thought about the sun. It's a natural thing to do. I've always wondered what it would be like the see the sun, to feel its warmth on my skin.

I've dreaded many things since becoming a gargoyle, and now I dread this as well. But it's not because of the sun. That's not what I dread.

It's what it might mean, and that I might not live to ever see it again, that scares me half to death.

Chapter Two

"Are you all right?" Angela asked later that night.

Somehow, Owen had managed to get the others to buy the excuse they'd managed to come up with – although Brooklyn had been correct in assuming that Angela didn't believe it. Neither, for that matter, had Maggie. The Mutates had dropped by that day, by request of Elisa, and she had definitely been skeptical. It was understandable – she already knew there was something strange going on, what with her involvement with the recovery for the Leopardstone. Brooklyn had a feeling it would only be a matter of time before she uncovered the truth. But he didn't have time to worry about that.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "A little tired, though, and my shoulder hurts. There's a surprise."

Angela laughed. "I swear, if it weren't for turning to stone during the day, that shoulder of yours wouldn't be red – it'd be black and blue!"

Brooklyn winced. "It isn't my fault I always seem to take the brunt of the attacks on it."

"Yes, it is," she argued, but her eyes were laughing. Then she grew serious. "Are you going on patrol again tonight?"

Brooklyn nodded. "I need to make sure the Darkstar from last night isn't still causing trouble. I know he didn't stay in the jewel – whether the explosion killed him or not is what I need to figure out."

"I'm going with you," Angela said immediately.

"No," Demona said, entering the room and catching the last bit of conversation. "_I'm_ going with you. You're going to need someone who can do magic. Neither Owen nor I think it's a good idea for you to tempt fate again."

Brooklyn sighed, then looked at Angela. "Demona's right," he said. "Besides, if things start getting too dangerous, I don't want you getting involved."

"I'm involved whether you like it or not," murmured Angela. 

"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way," he admitted. "But not now. Stay here, in the castle. If I need you, you'll know it. Let's go, Demona."

Demona nodded, then walked up to her daughter. "Don't worry," she said, whispering in Angela's ear. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"You better," Angela whispered back.

"She's just worried about you," Demona said thirty minutes later. "She's going through a rough time, what with Broadway's death and you becoming a Guardian that no one is supposed to know about – her whole world's been changed."

"I know, I know," Brooklyn said. "I just wish there was some way to keep her out of this. You and Owen I don't mind so much; the two of you can defend yourselves with magic. But Angela . . ."

"What she lacks in magical defense, she makes up for in spirit," Demona said. "That's something she gets from both sides of the family tree."

"No arguments there." Something to the right caught his attention. "Hey, what's going on over there?"

"Over where?" Demona followed his gaze. "I don't see anything."

"It's a large disturbance in the astral plane," said Brooklyn. "I can see it perfectly. I better check it out. Back me up, but don't use your magic unless I tell you to. Black magic in an unstable astral area could be deadly."

"You don't have to tell me twice." The two gargoyles folded back their wings and dove towards the offending rooftop.

Chapter Three

"See anything?" Demona asked a few minutes later. 

Brooklyn shook his white hair out. "Nothing except some dreary wet concrete blocks. I hate fall."

"Technically, it's still summer."

"Like I care," he muttered. "It's still wet." He peered up at the sky. "There's definitely some astral disruption going on here, but I haven't got a clue as to who's doing this."

Demona bit her lip. "Perhaps we should return to the castle."

"There's just once last thing I want to try." Brooklyn stepped out of where they were hiding and held his hand in front of him. "_Flow Break_," he whispered.

The air around them shimmered, and then stopped.

Demona stepped up next to him. "What was that?"

"A spell to check if we were in a dimension within a dimension," replied Brooklyn. "The fact that we were seeing nothing made me wonder if the person behind this was hiding out.

"And it looks like I was right."

Standing in the middle of the roof was someone who looked exactly from the Darkstar from last night.

"Who are you?" the Darkstar rasped – and Brooklyn realized it was female.

"The Leopardstone Guardian," replied Brooklyn. "And you're really beginning to get on my nerves."

The Darkstar let out a shriek. "You are the one who destroyed my brother!"

"Your brother?"

"Don't you even remember?" she continued to shriek. "My brother – Rotech!"

The weird cape she was wearing unfolded into a pair of gargoyle wings. Metal glinted against stone skin. A large knife was grafted onto her arm. 

"Oh no," moaned Brooklyn with Demona echoing right away. "Not _another_ crazy cyborg gargoyle."

Chapter Four

It was definitely another crazy cyborg gargoyle Darkstar. It wasn't the first one I'd encountered.

In fact, the first Darkstar I'd ever met was a crazy cyborg gargoyle. Apparently, Rotech had a sister. Why nobody thought to mention this before, I didn't know, but it's coming back around and catching me off guard. 

Especially since this sister seems hell bent on destroying me.

"Did you know Rotech had a sister?" hissed Demona.

Brooklyn shook his head. "Never had a clue. This could be bad."

"Really?!"

"Please, no sarcasm. I can't take any right now."

The Darkstar glared daggers in their direction. "You lousy Guardians think you own the world, Sharna says. Never try to see it from a Darkstar's point of view, Sharna says."

"Who's Sharna?" Demona whispered. 

"I Sharna!" screamed the Darkstar. "Stupid gargoyle, Sharna says."

"I think Sharna here doesn't have both oars in the water, if you know what I mean," muttered Brooklyn. 

"Nobody calls Sharna crazy!" screamed Sharna.

"Well, what would you call it if you kept talking about yourself in the third person?" sneered Brooklyn. "I don't have time for this."

"Brooklyn, remember what happened _last_ time you tried to capture her?" Demona whispered. "Now may not be the time to press your luck."

"I know that. _Fireball!_"

The Fireball soared towards Sharna – and easily bounced off the shield she conjured up around her. "Child's play, Sharna says," Sharna taunted. "Sharna will show you how to use magic. _Blam Blazer!_"

"Get down!" shouted Brooklyn, diving off to one side while Demona threw herself to the other. Brooklyn hit the ground rolling, and ended up almost rolling off the roof. He gripped the edge with his talons and looked up as Sharna stepped over above him, a spell beginning in her hand.

"A sitting duck, Sharna says," she laughed. 

"You really like throwing me off buildings, don't you?" Brooklyn asked nervously. 

Sharna prepared to throw the spell at him. 

From somewhere above them, something shot down from the sky, slammed into Sharna, and threw her back against the building. Then, just as quickly, that same someone reached over and hauled Brooklyn back over the wall. 

"Who are you?" asked Brooklyn, staring at the newcomer. 

The Guardian turned to look at him. "My name's Lucas," he said. "I'm the Garnet Guardian. You look like you could use a hand."

Brooklyn nodded, and the two of them turned to face Sharna – only to find that she was gone.

"Gone again," muttered Lucas. "That is the most slippery – and insane – Darkstar I have ever met. We need to talk."

"I was just thinking the exact same thing."

"My dimension isn't really the type where strange things happen everyday," Lucas began. They'd arrived at Castle Wyvern only a few minutes before, and had quickly asked Angela and Owen to join them. The group of five were now seated somewhat comfortably in the room that Brooklyn liked to call his own. 

"What was your life like, before you became a Guardian?" Angela asked.

"It depends on what aspect," Lucas said. "I lived on a _very_ small island in Maine with a population of three hundred. It was the type of place where everyone knew everyone else's business – not exactly ideal for someone who's trying to keep his identity a secret. So far, I've been lucky. There's been so much going on in everyone _else's_ lives that they haven't really been paying attention to me."

"What are you doing here?" asked Brooklyn, fingering the gold chain around his neck. 

"Tracking Sharna," replied Lucas. "She showed up in my dimension a couple cycles ago, and I've been following her around since. In the past month or so, I think I've tracked her to seven different Dimensions. She never stays long enough to be picked up by another Guardian – she must have a real grudge against you."

Brooklyn nodded. "I killed her brother."

Lucas' eyebrows shot up. "You killed _Rotech?_"

"Well, actually, it was more of a combined effort between me and the Astral Dancer," Brooklyn amended. "But I had a part in it. We all did." 

"Really?" Lucas' gaze traveled from Owen to Demona to Angela, and back to Brooklyn. "Does the Council know other people know who you are?"

Brooklyn quickly shook his head. "No, and don't tell them," he said. 

"Don't tell the _Council?_"

Brooklyn looked slightly uncomfortable. He'd just hit on territory that he hadn't even shared with his friends. "Would you guys mind leaving for a few minutes?" he asked, looking at his friends. "I need to talk to Lucas about something."

Owen nodded, but Demona and Angela looked offended. "Please?" he added.

Sighing, they stood up and followed Owen out of the room. When the door closed, he turned back to Lucas. "Who's your Superior?" he asked.

"The Onyx Guardian," Lucas replied automatically.

"Who do you take orders from?"

"The Onyx Guardian."

"What's her name?"

"Kyra," he answered. 

"Do you take orders from anyone else?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. Now, could you explain what this is all about?"

Brooklyn nodded. "It's like this. Lately, there have been a few problems. It seems the Council and the latest Astral Dancer – Cat – don't entirely agree on things. There have been a few Darkstar occurrences that _should_ be impossible . . . but they've happened anyway. I almost lost my life because of one of these little problems. Suddenly it seems that the Guardians are about to be split down the middle."

"Split down the middle?"

"Those loyal to the Astral Dancer and those loyal to the Council. And we loyal to the Astral Dancer are at a serious disadvantage – there's a very good chance that the Council may have the Ruby Guardian on their side."

"What do you think Brooklyn and Lucas are talking about, Mother?" Angela asked as the two females leaned against the side of the castle, looking over the lights of New York City. 

Demona shook her head. "I don't have any idea. But Brooklyn has been on edge lately – that may have something to do with his recent problems."

"You mean like not turning to stone during the day?" Angela muttered. "I wonder what that Darkstar did to him."

"I've been thinking about that," Demona admitted. "I'm not so sure that the Darkstar had anything to do with that. Now, this is just a theory, but Brooklyn spends a lot of time on the astral plane, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Angela said.

"Time runs differently on the astral plane than it does here. So its very possible that Brooklyn's inner clock is off," answered Demona. "In which case, his body is telling him its not morning and such. He's not a normal gargoyle, remember that."

"So there's a chance he won't even turn into stone again?"

"No, he'll probably turn to stone when his inner clock tells him it's time," answered Demona. Now she looked worried. "And that's where we have our problem. There's no way to tell _when_ his inner clock will tell him it's morning. He's no longer triggered by the sun. He could very well turn to stone . . . in the middle of the night, during a battle, anytime."

"Maybe we should talk to Lucas," Angela suggested. 

Chapter Five

"What do you mean, I'm on permanent standby?" demanded Brooklyn. He looked at the holoimage of Kaoru Nagisa standing – err, floating – in front of him. 

"We need to find out what's going on with your stone process," answered Kaoru. "Those friends of yours – Demona and Angela? -- they were worried enough to talk to the Garnet Guardian, who then contacted Onyx, and Kyra got a hold of me. What I would like to know is, why did you not report this?"

"I didn't think it was anything to worry about," replied Brooklyn. "There's no proof that this will happen again. Besides, I have a slight Darkstar crisis right now. Put me on standby and there's no telling what she might do."

But Kaoru was adamant. "Lucas can handle it," he said. "He's offered to stay on until we have this figured out. Meanwhile Kyra will be covering the Garnet Dimension. Don't worry Brooklyn – we'll get this figured out. But until then, I want you off duty. I can't take your Leopardstone away from you, but I can order you not to use it. I'll know if you do. You're confined to the Leopardstone Lair unless your healing capabilities are needed.

"Anyway, I should thank you as well. Because of you, we have a new ally. Lucas had no idea of the animosity between Cat and the Council." He smiled softly at Brooklyn, and then his holoimage disappeared. Brooklyn had been dismissed.

Brooklyn groaned. "Great. I'm stuck here on the astral plane. Angela is going to kill me."

"What do you mean, Brooklyn isn't staying here for the morning?" Goliath demanded. 

"Talon and the other Mutates needed some help down in the Labyrinth," Angela said. "Brooklyn offered to help. He won't make it back before sunrise."

Goliath frowned. "I wish he would've consulted me before doing this."

"It _was_ pretty sudden," Angela agreed. "I have to go ask Mother something before sunrise. 'Bye, Father!" She spun around and hurried into the castle before Goliath could object.

"I really don't like lying to him," she said as she stepped into Brooklyn's room. "Thanks for doing this, Maggie."

Maggie nodded. "I just hope this isn't going to happen constantly. I'm not sure how long I can keep Talon in the dark about this. If someone makes a comment to him . . ."

Demona nodded. "Don't worry about it. This really shouldn't take too long."

Angela glanced at the clock. "Sunrise. I'll see you when I wake up." She struck her pose and turned to stone.

Maggie winced as Demona's cries of pain echoed off the wall. When it was over and Dominique Destine stood in her place, they both breathed easier. "How can you do that every day?" Maggie asked.

Demona ran her hand through her red hair. "You get used to it after awhile. Are you going back to the Labyrinth?"

"Yes. I told Talon I'd only be a few minutes," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Mm-hmm. Lucas wants to have a talk with all of us then."

"How're you doing?"

Brooklyn looked at Helaine. "Do the words 'cabin fever' mean anything to you?"

Helaine smirked. "You'll deal with it. Lucas is doing okay in your dimension – or so I've heard. This isn't really my jurisdiction or anything."

The red gargoyle nodded. "Have you been there?"

"No. I have enough problems of my own. I've got a problem with breaches in my world. Breaches that shouldn't be opening under any circumstance."

"Having a hard time closing them?"

"Not really," she said. She winced as she pulled up the long sleeve of her gown. 

Brooklyn came over. "Let me take a look at that." He took her arm gently in his hand and pressed gently around the elbow. Helaine sucked in a sharp breath. "It doesn't look like this is healing easily. I'm not really surprised."

Helaine looked at him in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"I used my specialty to heal you," he said. "You were so far gone – your Staff had snapped – that no healing spell would've been strong enough to heal you all the way. I guess your weak spot is in your arm."

"Yea," Helaine said dryly. "So you're saying that I'm going to have a lot of trouble using my sword from now on."

Brooklyn shrugged. "Unless you adapt to using your other arm, yeah. I can try casting a spell to mask the pain so it won't be so obvious, if you want."

"Do it," ordered Helaine. "The last thing I want is Pixel or Score getting suspicious."

"Yes ma'am," Brooklyn said as he began to cast the aforementioned spell.

Chapter Six

I never thought it would be possible to become claustrophobic in a place as huge as the Leopardstone Lair. I hear there are bigger Lairs – everything in the First Five and up (that's not much, considering the only thing above those five is the Astral Dancer) – and that there are smaller ones, such as the Lairs of the Guardians below the Second String.

It's now safe to say that it is possible. In fact, it's more than possible – it's definite. I used to love this place. I could come here anytime I just needed to chill out. But now I'll be glad to never see it again. I've mapped out every single corner. I've counted every single crack in the gemstone walls. I could walk these halls blindfolded and not run into _anything_. I think I rearranged my living room ten times in the past hour.

Somebody get me out of here! Please! I beg you! 

Brooklyn woke up to the sound of alarms going off all over his Lair. "Oh, great, what now?" he muttered, leaping off his couch and just barely remembering to fold his wings over him so that he didn't slam them into the wall. He dashed into the communication chamber as fast as he could. "Computer, what's going on?"

There has been a Darkstar sighted in the Leopardstone Lair.

The Leopardstone Guardian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, usually when the alarms go off it means there's a Darkstar. Isn't Lucas taking care of this?"

There has been a Darkstar sighted in the Leopardstone Lair.

"So you mentioned." Brooklyn gritted his teeth. "Computer, connect me to the Garnet Lair."

There is no one at the Garnet Lair.

"Connect me to the Jasper Lair."

Connecting . . . 

A holo-image of Kaoru appeared in the middle of the room. "Brooklyn, _what_ is going on over there?" asked Kaoru. "Your alarms are going crazy. I can hear them over here!"

"I don't know what's happening," Brooklyn said helplessly. "My Lair's picking up a Darkstar disturbance in my dimension, and I can't raise Lucas. He's not at his Lair, and unless I'm mistaken, the alarm shouldn't be sounding if he's taking care of the problem."

Kaoru shook his head. "I'll check and see if I can find him."

"Kaoru, there's no time," Brooklyn pleaded. "I need to go to New York and take care of this myself. I know it's risky, but Lucas could be in trouble – so could the rest of my clan. _Please_, Kaoru."

The Jasper Guardian stared at his Second blankly. Brooklyn cringed inwardly; he couldn't believe he was actually begging. 

"Go," Kaoru said. 

"What?"

"Go. Find out what's going on. And let's hope that you stay in good shape through this. Go."

Brooklyn let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Thank you, Kaoru."

Chapter Seven

__

While the alarms were going off . . .

"Angela, look behind you!" Lucas shouted, firing off a couple of Freeze Arrows to cancel out the Flare Arrows speeding towards her.

Angela threw herself to the ground to avoid the explosion. "Thanks," she panted as she ran over to him. 

Lucas just nodded, concentrating on a protection spell. He'd asked Demona, Owen, Angela, and Maggie to meet him on this rooftop to talk, not at all expecting Sharna to show up in all her psychotic glory. 

Maggie fired an electric bolt at her, but it merely bounced off her metal wing. "How did she find us?" Maggie asked, coming over to get behind the protection spell.

Lucas shook his head. "I have no idea."

Sharna snickered and muttered something to herself. "Brace yourselves!" Lucas shouted. "Puck, Demona, get over here!" The fey had once again shown his true colors, due to a spell placed over him by a previous Astral Dancer. 

"_Darkness beyond twilight. Crimson beyond blood that flows._"

"What is this?" gasped Angela.

"A black magic spell?" whispered Demona. She looked at Lucas, who had gone visible pale underneath his face mask. "Darkstars can't _use_ black magic, can they?"

"Last time I checked." Lucas gritted his teeth and transferred all his power to the protection spell. 

"_Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows._"

"What spell is this?" Puck murmured.

"The Dragon Slave," growled Lucas. "I thought it was only native to the Obsidian Dimension. Where the hell did Sharna learn this?"

"_I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, against the mighty gift bestowed on my unworthy hand._"

"Can you counter it?"

"Are you crazy? The only thing that can stop a Dragon Slave is a simultaneous attack from an astral spell of equal power: otherwise known as the Ra Tilt. But unless you want me to drop this protection barrier and hope that I finish my incantation before she does – which I won't – I suggest we think of another method."

"What's that?"

"_Run!_"

"_May the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!_"

There was no time to run. The explosive black power rushed towards them in a visible mass of magic. Lucas knew there was absolutely no way his barrier could hold against it. He gritted his teeth and prayed that there'd be another Garnet Guardian after him. 

"_RA TILT!_"

Chapter Eight

Sharna was confused. She had that Guardian right where she wanted him! Her Dragon Slave would've destroyed him! But then . . . then the Dragon Slave was gone, and now she _hurt_! What was going on?

"Those are my friends you're trying to fry there, missy," Brooklyn said as he glided down for a landing. "I don't take kindly to anyone going after them."

"Leopardstone," Sharna realized. "The one who killed my brother, Sharna says. Well, Sharna will now kill you!" With a roar, she threw herself forward, claws outstretched, aiming for Brooklyn. 

"I think not," Brooklyn growled back. He grabbed her hands in both of his, slammed his foot into her stomach, and sent her flying headfirst over his shoulder. This move caused him to land on his back as well, but he quickly righted himself. "You are seriously beginning to get on my nerves."

Sharna let out a snarl and lashed out with her tail, attempting to trip Brooklyn up. The red gargoyle easily jumped over the offending appendage and threw a fireball at Sharna.

The fireball sailed past her head. "Leopardstone missed!" Sharna crowed. Then she screamed as the fireball slammed into her wing, the heat of the spell melting the metal plating. Caught off guard, the Darkstar sank to her knees, whimpering. 

"Give it up, Sharna," Brooklyn said, holding another fireball in his hand. "I can just keep sending these your way until you're a hunk of melted junk."

Sharna raised her eyes to him. "Leopardstone is a fool, Sharna says," she whispered. "Always so smug and certain. Leopardstone has underestimated Sharna, though. While fighting Sharna, Leopardstone has failed to pay attention to the sun!" She pointed at the horizon. 

The sun was beginning to rise.

Chapter Nine

Lucas stared at the rising sun. "Oh, no," he groaned. He was still feeling the draining effects of the protection spell he'd cast, and could barely move. Turning his head slightly, he could see the sun's rays bathing over the far side of the rooftop, sending Angela into her stone sleep and turning Demona human. Maggie was unconscious, and Puck wasn't much better. 

Sharna also watched the sun's effects. "Foolish gargoyles," she crowed. "Sharna doesn't have to turn to stone when the sun rises. So now Sharna will smash you!"

"Think again." Sharna spun around at the surprising voice, only to get a fist right in the face. She tumbled to the ground.

Brooklyn stood over her, a smug expression on his features. "I don't exactly turn to stone these days, either," he snarled, reaching down and pulling her to her feet. "And you're beginning to bother me."

Sharna still looked crazed, even with the metal on her face smashed and broken, and her flesh scratched up like a mad cat had gone after it. "Leopardstone can't stop Sharna," she hissed. "Leopardstone can't keep Sharna in the gem."

"You know what?" Brooklyn asked, pushing her away. "You were a lot easier than your brother."

Confusion crossed Sharna's face. "_Snigbe ti os dna_," Lucas said behind her, sealing her into the Garnet. 

Brooklyn grinned at his friend. "Thanks," he said. "You really came through."

Lucas shrugged. "I didn't do that much. You were the one who showed up and saved my butt."

"But there was no way I could've pulled Sharna into the Leopardstone," said Brooklyn. "My magic's been acting up constantly lately. I couldn't figure out why. That was my biggest problem with her."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair and glanced over at Brooklyn's friends. "Maybe you better get them back to the castle."

"Can't show up there," Brooklyn said, shaking his head. "It's daytime."

Demona and Owen walked over to them. "Is she gone?" Owen asked, brushing off his suit. 

Brooklyn nodded. "Yeah, she's gone. But I still wish I knew what caused my sun problem." He held his Leopardstone and looked down at it. "You're causing me a lot of trouble, you know?" He unhooked it from around his neck.

Demona, Owen, and Lucas watched in amazement as he turned to stone.

"Well I'll be damned," Lucas said. "It was the Leopardstone all along."

Demona just shook her head. "I can't believe I never thought of that."

"Looks like I'm stuck here until he wakes up," realized Lucas. "After all, I can't go leaving this place unprotected, can I? My dimension can handle itself without me for a little while." He looked at Brooklyn. "See you when the sun goes down."

Epilogue

All that and it turned out my problem was my own gemstone. Figures.

But actually, this whole episode as been troubling me. How _was_ Sharna able to cast the Dragon Slave? Come to think of it, there was a Darkstar in the Aquamarine Dimension who cast the Ragna Blade. Both are major Black magic spells – and Demona was right . . . Darkstars _can't_ cast black magic. When they split off from the Mazoku, they left that aspect of themselves behind. 

And the plot thickens.

Okay, not exactly my best work. Like the other sagas before this one, if I don't get good reviews, I won't post the second story. I introduced a new Guardian in this one:

Garnet: Lucas Cabral (Making Out)

Anyway, for those interested, here's a preview of what the second story would be:

Next time on:

THE LEOPARDSTONE SAGA

Twisted Universe

Trouble's brewing in the astral plane, and it's beginning to affect different dimensions. Suddenly things are showing up in Leopardstone where they're not supposed to be – and when this dimension gets tangled with another dimension, Brooklyn's got some big problems on his hand.

If he can't get things straightened out fast, everything could be destroyed.


	4. A Chance To Live

The Onyx Saga #1

A Chance to Live

Prologue

The first thing you need to know about me is that my name is Kyra. I don't feel like telling you my last name, mostly because last names don't mean much to me.

The second thing I should tell you is that the reason last names don't mean much to me is because I'm dead.

Yeah, that's right, you heard me: dead. As in, doornail-like. As in, six feet under. As in, R.I.P, Rest In Peace and If You Dare To Dig This Grave Up, I'll Haunt You For the Rest of Your Life. 

I wish. 

Actually, being dead isn't that bad. I'm actually getting somewhat used to it.

I was on my way to visit some relatives on the other side of country. It was the first time my parents had let me fly on my own, so I was really excited. I tried to be mature about it, of course, but that's kind of hard when you've got flight attendants trying to hand you little bags of crayons and shoving peanuts down your throat. It was like, excuse me, do I look _that_ young to you? 

Grrr.

But anyway, I digress. We were somewhere over Michigan – or maybe it was Minnesota? -- when it happened. There was a fire in the luggage bay of the plane, and the flames reached the engines. There was smoke, then a loud roar, and that was the last thing I remembered.

When I woke up again, I was standing with a whole bunch of other people in a large room and there was some tall blue guy welcoming us to some place called Elysia and introducing us to centaur-thing named Elfangor. Then he informs us that, yes, we're dead, and we're now in the afterlife and, by the way, there are refreshments on the way out if you're hungry. 

The people in Elysia welcomed us, and we were aloud to explore. But all I could of was, God, I'm not even finished with school yet. This can't be happening to me. I don't belong here.

But I did. Unfortunately. And as I watched all the eternally young spirits having the times of their lives, I decided right then and there – There was absolutely no way I was going to stay in this place. Not at all.

Chapter One

Kyra leaned against a large tree in one of Elysia's parks. "I can't believe they expect me to spend the rest of eternity in this place," she whispered. "I'm a kid – I don't deserve this!"

All around her, people were laughing and running around. A few people were running a play group on the other end of the field. From what she could gather, some people were actually born into the community. "That's all good and well for them, but I can't stand it."

"So. You're fed up with Elysia, eh?"

Kyra spun around. "Who said that?" 

Someone moved behind a tree. "I did."

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Come over here and I'll tell you."

Kyra glanced around and saw that absolutely no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to her. Then she hurried around the tree. "Where are you?" she whispered. She couldn't see anything.

"Up here."

She glanced up. There, hanging upside-down from a large branch in the tree, was a strange blue-gold bird. "What are you? Who are you?"

"My name is Eksonalotl," the bird said. "I'm an Arn. Never heard of us? I'm not surprised. Most of our race is extinct."

"Extinct?" Kyra asked skeptically. 

"The Yeerks did it," Eksonalotl replied, sounding like he didn't really care one way or another. "Not that it matters. I've figured out a way to leave this place whenever I feel like it. You can, too, you know. I can help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" Kyra wondered. "I'm nothing special."

Eksonalotl grinned an Arn grin. "Sure you are. Anybody who can't stand the peace around this place has got to be special. I can get you out of here – let you go home. See your family. See your friends. All you have to do is a few favors for me."

"What sort of favors?" Kyra asked.

Eksonalotl gave that grin again. "Meet me back here tomorrow, midnight. I'll tell you then. Think you can manage one more night?"

Kyra nodded. "I'll manage one hundred more nights if it means getting out of this place." 

"Better get going," the Arn advised.

Kyra nodded again. "Yeah. Thanks, Eksonalotl!" she said as she turned to leave.

"Oh, and Kyra? Don't mention to anyone that you've seen me. As far as anyone knows, I moved to another community a long time ago."

"They won't hear it from me." Kyra gave one more excited smile, then turned and dashed off.

Eksonalotl gazed after her. "This is going to be perfect," he whispered.

"Are you sure the girl is coming?"

Eksonalotl looked at his companion. "Yes, Malik," he said, nodding. "I told her to come tomorrow, at midnight. Judging from the look on her face when I mentioned that we could give her back her life, she was ecstatic."

"The girl is a candidate," Malik said. "We'll have to be very careful with the way we handle this. If either Zoey or Mi Ung get wind of this . . ."

Eksonalotl cut him off. "They won't," he said sharply. "Kyra's still new to the Golden Communities, and I doubt they've even identified her as a possible candidate. It was luck that we managed to get the information first."

Malik sighed. "We're treading on thin ice here, my friend," he said. "Mess this up now – you know He won't be happy if we screw this one up."

Eksonalotl rolled his eyes, a truly bizarre sight. "I didn't sell my soul so that I could sit on my feathers for all eternity and rot. I've been planning this for years. Everything will go according to plan – trust me on that."

"I do trust you," Malik said. "But does she?"

"Aren't you hungry, Kyra?" asked one of the Elysia elders, a Farsight named Tycoola. Kyra had been staying with her until her own quarters could be prepared. "You haven't touched any of your food all night."

Kyra shrugged. "I guess I'm still trying to get used to things around here," she said. Under her breath, she muttered, "Thank goodness I won't have do that anymore."

"Did you say something?" Tycoola asked.

"Uh, no," Kyra said quickly. "Look, I'm just not very hungry. I think I'll retire to my room for the night. I'm pretty tired. Is that okay?"

Tycoola smiled. "Of course." Kyra thanked her and carried her dishes out to the kitchen, then headed to her room. "Oh, and Kyra?"

"Yes?" Kyra stopped walking.

"Tomorrow, my friend Loren wants to talk to you. You've seen Loren, right? Prince Elfangor's wife?"

"Prince Elfangor?" The name sounded familiar, but Kyra couldn't place it.

"Yes," Tycoola said, "he's the one who did your inauguration."

__

The blue centaur, thought Kyra. "Oh. What does she want to talk about?"

"I don't know," Tycoola answered, "But she'd like to see you around noon tomorrow, at her house. It's the ranch style at the end of the street. You know the one?"

"Yeah," Kyra said. "I know the one. Okay, thanks, Tycoola. I think I'll go to bed right now. Wouldn't want to oversleep and miss my meeting."

Tycoola nodded and glanced at the clock. "I'm going over to Strike's for a little while. Good night, Kyra."

"'Night," replied Kyra. She retreated back into her room.

Then, once she was sure Tycoola was gone, she lifted her window, climbed out into the backyard, and ran for where Eksonalotl had said he'd meet her.

"Eksonalotl?" Kyra whispered as she quietly approached the tree. "Are you here? It's me, Kyra."

There was no answer. The woods were dark and covered with shadows in the night, and the quarter moon barely lit up the sky. Kyra shivered slightly as a breeze blew by her.

"Please let him be here," she whispered to herself. "Eksonalotl?"

"Here, Kyra."

Kyra spun around and found herself facing the Arn. "You're here," she breathed with relief. "I thought you might have changed your mind?"

"Not at all," Eksonalotl said. "I brought a friend with me, though. This is Malik." He gestured to the tall, cloaked figure leaning against a tree. "Malik wears his cloak because he is very conspicuous without it. Underneath the cloak, he is a Hork-Bajir. That is all you need to know."

Kyra nodded. "Okay. Now, are you going to help me get out? You said you'd tell me what I need to do."

"Yes," agreed Eksonalotl. "I need you to retrieve something for me. A large cube that they keep in the Council Hall, in the center of Elysia. It's bright blue, and you can't miss it. They call it the Escafil Device. It's usually left unguarded, and should be easy to get. Retrieve it, and when you do, return with it to this spot. Malik and I will wait for you."

"When do you want it by?" Kyra asked.

"Whenever you can get it to us," Eksonalotl replied. "We're willing to wait."

__

But I'm not, Kyra thought. "I'll get the Escafil Device for you, Eksonalotl."

Chapter Two

"I don't believe this," Kyra whispered a few hours later. "They've left this place completely unguarded. I guess maybe they're a little too trusting around here."

__

Of course they are, a little voice inside her head nagged. _They don't think anyone in the community would be stupid enough to steal it. _

Kyra blocked out the voice. "I better get this over with." She took a deep breath and crept over to the pedestal where the Escafil Device sat. "No security system. I hope."

She reached out for the cube, squeezing her eyes shut in the process. As she touched the smooth blue side, she waited for alarms to go off.

None did.

She picked up the cube. Still no alarms. Then, without hesitation, she stuffed the cube in the bag she was carrying and raced out of the room.

What Kyra didn't notice was the camera mounted in the corner of the room.

In the center of the Golden Communities, a young humanoid figure sat behind a large crystal desk.

"I better contact Mi Ung," muttered the Ellimist.

"You wished to see me, Ellimist?" The young centaur looked at her caller. "What is so important that you must interrupt me? I've got a slight crisis on my hands in Upendi."

Ellimist nodded. "You may find this somewhat more important, Mi," he said, leaning forward and looked at her. "The Escafil Device belonging to Elysia has just been stolen."

Mi didn't appear to be phased. "Then you should alert Prince Elfangor," she said. 

"Prince Elfangor left Elysia for Riotan a few days ago," replied the Ellimist. "You know he's been very busy, aiding the communities in their revival since the Neutro-Virus attack."

"True," Mi admitted, "but this seems to be more like something he would be concerned with."

"Actually, you may become more concerned when I tell you who stole the Escafil Device," the Ellimist said.

"Who?"

"The girl Loren was supposed to meet with later today. The possible Guardian candidate."

Mi gasped. "Oh Ellimist," she whispered. "Can it be true?"

"I think you may want to detour to Elysia on your way to Upendi," the Ellimist suggested.

Mi Ung nodded. "Onyx," she said strongly, disappearing before he could say anything else.

The Ellimist turned back to his monitors and continued watching over the Golden Communities, satisfied that the theft was going to be dealt with.

Loren was making breakfast when someone knocked on the door. "Elfangor, can you get that?" she called.

I'm kind of in a situation up here, Lor, he called back down. Something crashed to the floor on the second floor. Oops. Hope that wasn't expensive, she heard him mutter. Loren smiled. Even though her husband had been a great hero, around the house he was still somewhat of a klutz.

__

Knock knock!

"Coming!" she called as she weaved her way around the furniture. Pulling open the door, she said, "What is it . . . Mi Ung?"

Mi Ung stood in front of her. "Hello, Loren," she said. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Loren said, stepping aside so her guest could get her horse half through the door. "What brings you here?"

"The Escafil Device was stolen last night," Mi Ung replied, "from this very community."

Elfangor, who had been coming downstairs, froze. What? Why wasn't I alerted?

"You just got back a couple hours ago, dear," Loren reminded him. "When did this happen?"

"A couple hours ago," Mi Ung answered. "The Ellimist alerted me as soon as he found out."

Who did it?

Mi Ung looked at Loren. "That new girl of yours," she said. "Kyra."

Loren's eyes widened. "But . . . Kyra was identified as a possible Guardian candidate. I was going to tell her today!"

The centaur nodded. "Someone beat us to her," she said. "And I get the feeling that we know who that someone is. The only person who knows how to prey on weaknesses and manipulate them to a hilt."

Elfangor narrowed all four eyes. Eksonalotl.

"She got it!" cried Eksonalotl. "Perfect!"

Malik grinned maliciously. "I guess what they say is true – Guardian candidates really _are_ the most gullible creatures in the world."

Eksonalotl nodded. "Well, let's go, my friend. We're wasting time here. The Lord wants that box, and he wants it now. I wouldn't suggest keeping him waiting."

"What does he want us to do with the girl?" Malik asked.

"Bring her along for now," replied the Arn.

"And if she asks questions?"

Eksonalotl looked pointedly at Malik. The Hork-Bajir grinned. "I see."

The Arn stared at the scrying pool before him. "I sold my soul for power," he whispered, "and this girl is seeping with it. She's perfect. And she's all mine."

Chapter Three

"Eksonalotl?" Kyra called. "Malik? Where are you?"

"We're still here, Kyra," came the voice of the Arn from behind her. "Do you have the Escafil Device?"

She held out the blue cube. "Right here."

"Good girl. Now bring it to me."

Kyra frowned. "I thought I did."

"Kyra. Do you wish to return to the real world?" 

"You know I do," she said enthusiastically. "I'll do _anything_ to get out of here! I already brought the cube to you."

"Not quite. I'm not entirely in this world. You'll have to come to me."

She looked around. "How do I do that?"

"Hold the cube out in front of you," Eksonalotl instructed, "and walk towards the tree. Make sure you close your eyes first."

Kyra closed her eyes and began moving towards the tree. "Like this?"

No answer from Eksonalotl. Kyra felt her skin tingle, as if her whole body was falling asleep. She felt her eyelids grow heavier . . . could see the glow of the box through her closed eyes . . . felt the floor disappear from underneath her . . . 

From the side of the forest, in perfect view of the tree, Mi Ung stared in horror as the black tree enveloped Kyra. "Power of Onyx, Come Into My Hand!" she shouted as she charged forward. "Kyra, don't do it!"

Suddenly a rope whipped out from inside the tree and wrapped around her forelegs. Another gripped her hindquarters, and still another around her upper chest and horse midsection. Mi Ung tried to rear up, but the restraints grew tighter. The tree began pulling her in after Kyra.

At the last second, Mi Ung retracted her Onyx Staff and slid the jewel into her satchel just as her arms were pinned down – and she was retracted into darkness.

Kyra let out a soft moan. "Wha – what happened?"

Next to her, someone moved slightly, groaning as he or she did so. Kyra opened her eyes and saw a lithe centaur slowly climbing to her feet. 

"Are you okay?" Mi Ung asked when she noticed Kyra was awake. 

"Wha – who – where are we?" Kyra gasped out.

"Eksonalotl's lair," Mi Ung replied. "In the dungeon, to be more precise. By the Ellimist, I can't believe I let them capture me. The Council is going to have my head for this."

Kyra stared at her. "Eksonalotl . . . but why am I here? I'm supposed to be home! He promised."

Mi Ung let out a short laugh. "Young girl, I'm afraid you've been duped by a Darkstar. Eksonalotl has been trying to get the Escafil Device for ages – and he used you to finally retrieve it. I tried telling Elfangor he should get a better security system, but would he listen? Of course not."

None was this was helping Kyra. "You mean . . . he's not going to help me get home?"

Mi Ung placed a soothing hand on Kyra's shoulder. "Calm down. Listen, Kyra – you died. And I'm sorry if you didn't like it, but when you get right down to it, none of us like it much. Especially those of us who died unfairly. Like me."

Kyra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Like you?"

The centaur nodded. "Yes. I was just about your age when I came to Elysia. My own herd had put me to death. You know why?"

Kyra shook her head. 

"Because they needed a sacrifice to the gods, that's why. They believed that by killing a pure female, the gods would give them good fortune for the year. I was the pure female." Mi Ung sighed deep in her chest. "A good thing came out of my death, however – I found that I had remarkable powers. I became a psychic. Elysia has a few – Cha Nab, and Loren – and if there's one thing a psychic can do, it's breach the barriers between life and death and observe the real world. Cha Nab barely does this anymore, but Loren has a son and a brother-in-law in the living world that she likes to look in on every once in awhile. But none of us, save Cha Nab, would've realized our power if we hadn't come to the Golden Communities."

"You're psychic?"

Mi Ung nodded. "Yes."

"Why are you here?"

She sighed. "Now that, Kyra, is a longer story."

Any luck?

Loren turned to see Elfangor approaching her. She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. There doesn't seem to be any sign of Kyra _anywhere_. And Elfangor – Mi Ung is gone to."

Elfangor looked shocked. You're kidding.

"I wish I was," his wife answered, "but I'm dead serious. There's no sign of her, and according to the Ellimist there's been no breaches since we last saw her, at least none that we can detect. Elfangor, what is going on here?"

I don't know, he answered, slipping an arm around her shoulders. But whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out. Just try your best.

Loren hung her head. "I don't know what I can do," she whispered.

Then, suddenly, an idea came to her.

"But I may know something who does."

It had been a long time since anyone had come to this particular part of the Golden Communities. 

Anyone _mortal_, that is. 

Loren wasn't entirely certain this place would even have what she was looking for. But she was desperate – really desperate. The Onyx Guardian was missing, and so was a brand-new psychic, and she was dreadfully afraid of what someone might do if they managed to harness that power. 

"Generations of the Passing Times," Loren shouted from the middle of the field where she stood. "I call upon Thee, summon Thee, draw upon Thee. Hear my Eternal Question and give Thy Desired Answer!"

At first, nothing.

Then it was as if a whole had opened up in the air directly before her. Her long blond hair whipped away from her face, even though there wasn't any wind. A blinding light flashed before her eyes, and when everything was calm, she found herself looking at a floating purple orb.

Who are you, Mortal, to call upon my presence during my rest?

The voice seemed to fill everything. Despite the pretense of harsh words, it was actually a very kind voice. Decidedly female. And full of pride and honor. 

"I am the one they call Loren," Loren replied. "Might I assume that I am talking to one of the Great Amethysts of the Age?"

You might. I am the one they call Megumi, of the 42nd Generation Reign.

"Your travels are well documented, Guardian Megumi," Loren said, trying not to let her shock and delight appear in her voice. She was actually in the presence of the Guardian who had almost single-handedly saved an _entire_ astral dynasty from destruction! "I am pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Megumi laughed softly. As I am pleased to meet yours. I'm glad to see that not every psychic in this generation is lacking in manners. But there's obviously something bothering you.

Loren nodded. "Yes, there is. Recently, our dimension has fallen upon hard times. The Onyx Guardian has disappeared, and along with her a young, newly born psychic who possessed great raw power. I'm at a lost as to what to do. And what's more – they've taken Elysia's Escafil Device with them."

Do you know who the kidnapper is?

"No. I think, though, that it's a Darkstar."

And you think correctly. We here in the Shadows have also sensed a disturbing entity in your Dimension. Do you have a suspect?

"Eksonalotl."

Megumi hissed violently. Her orb glowed brightly. 

Listen up, Mortal. I'm about to tell you all I know about this Eksonalotl who fancies himself to be Arn. Place your hand upon my sphere.

Loren did as commanded, and the orb shone brightly. She closed her eyes, and lost herself in the memories.

Chapter Four

Dimension 13815826925

Mid-42nd Cycle

"I know you're out there," hissed Megumi. "I can sense you. Where are you?"

There was no answer, just the strange, discontenting feeling that there was _something_ in the forest that didn't belong. In the distance, silhouetted by the bright full moon, the Amethyst Guardian could make out the gaping hole of the Crater of Ken. Briefly, she wondered if she should call upon the Digimon of Light for assistance – but there was no need just then.

"Are you all right, Megumi?" 

Megumi almost attacked, but fortunately managed to restrain herself. "It's just you, Miragimon," she said, sighing. "You had be scared for a moment."

Her Digimon companion laughed softly and materialized from a tree. "Don't you know I'd never let you out of my sight?" he whispered, sidling up next to her. Although she knew very well what his true form appeared to be, she was comforted that he took on the appearance of a human when he was near her. It gave her some grasp on her old home. 

"I sensed something not long ago," Megumi answered, her purple gem glittering brightly in the moonlight. "But I seem to be the only one. Not even your friend PegaUnimon has come out of her shelter."

Miragimon frowned. "Nor has Volcanmon, Tsunanimon, RogueDiamamon, Keetramon, Orcamon, or Canusmon. There's nothing in the Digital World tonight. Come back to the shelter."

Megumi shook her head. "No, I know there's something out there. Something . . . evil."

That something . . . was Eksonalotl.

Chapter Five

Eksonalotl was the only Arn to ever sell himself out to the Darkstars. The Arn were a highly intelligent race – as you know, they created the Hork-Bajir. And Eksonalotl was one of the most intelligent. But he was power mad. He always wanted power. 

Five Guardians lost their lives to Eksonalotl during my encounters with him. Five of my closest friends. He siphoned power off many Digimon, including my friend Miragimon, and reduced them to lesser forms. 

Know this well, Mortal. Your friends were taken by Eksonalotl for one reason, and one reason only.

Power. It's the key.

Loren stepped back from the orb. The orb glowing brightly one more time, then faded. 

"Thank you, Guardian Megumi," Loren whispered. She turned and began walking back to Elysia. Megumi's words echoed in her mind. Power. Its the key. 

"The key to what?" she wondered.

Chapter Six

"How long has it been?" Kyra asked tiredly. "It feels like days."

Mi Ung shook her head. "Only a couple hours. Knowing Eksonalotl, he'll be sending for us soon."

"What does he want with us?" 

"The only thing this pathetic excuse for an Arn has ever wanted, of course," answered Mi Ung. "Power. He loves it. He thrives on it. He's killed several psychics just to get it. He's completely ruthless."

Kyra bit her lip. "So all he does is kill?"

"Yes."

There was no reply from the young girl. After a few minutes, Mi Ung turned to look at her. Kyra was huddled against the back wall of the cell, looking like she wanted to cry. "Hey, it's not your fault," Mi Ung said, coming over to her and placing her hand on her shoulder. "Listen. Eksonalotl's real target was me, all along. You just got caught up in it because of your power."

"My :: sniff :: power?"

"Yes. You've have a lot of raw, natural psychic ability, Kyra. And Eksonalotl loves that. But this is not your fault. In fact, you're not even going to be here much longer." Mi Ung had come to a decision, and she couldn't back out now.

"What do you mean?"

The centaur reached into her satchel and removed a necklace. On it was a brilliant black-and-white gemstone. "This is the Onyx," she told Kyra. "It will follow my commands. And if my last command is to take you to safety, then it will do so."

She pressed the gem into Kyra's hand. "Concentrate on the Onyx, Kyra," Mi Ung whispered. "Then speak it's name. It will take you to safety."

"No," Kyra refused. "You use it."

Footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor. "My time is _done_, Kyra. It's my duty to protect the innocent. I have been the Onyx Guardian for three long centuries. It's time for someone else to have a turn. Take it, and keep it safe for me. Go, before Eksonalotl gets here!"

Kyra opened her mouth to protest again, but then she heard the footsteps as well. The arrogant steps of the Darkstar Arn could be heard echoing off the cavernous walls of the dungeon. Her fist closed around the gem. She closed her eyes. "Onyx." 

The light flashed before Mi Ung, and Kyra vanished. Taking a deep breath, the centaur turned to face the last Darkstar she'd ever face.

Once again, Kyra found herself opening her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" she murmured.

All around her was lavish furniture and decorations. She was in one of the largest rooms she'd ever seen. There was a huge window on one wall, and through the window she could see a strange landscape of purple, silver, and black. Everything around her seemed to be carved out of stone, and was decorated in black and white. In fact, it all seemed to be carved out of the same stone she held in her hand – onyx. 

"Where am I?" she repeated.

The Onyx glowed brightly then, and Kyra found herself transported to another room – this one somewhat larger. And carved out of diamond. A young woman sat on a chair before her, and she was looking at her in surprise. Then she saw the gem clutched in her hand.

"So Mi Ung has died," the woman said softly. "You must be Kyra."

"Uh, yeah," Kyra said. "Who are you?"

The woman stood up and stepped over to her. In her hand she clutched a beautifully carved staff with a diamond perched on top. "My name is Zoey," she answered. "They call me the Astral Dancer."

Loren returned to her house, only to find Elfangor waiting anxiously on the front porch. "What's wrong?" she asked, coming up and kissing him on the cheek. "You look troubled."

Elfangor looked more than troubled – he looked like he was ready to go after a whole fleet of Yeerk Pool Ships. The official word just came from the Ellimist, he said in tight thought-speech. Mi Ung's dead. We can only assume that the girl is, too. Or worse than dead.

Loren gasped and if Elfangor hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist, she probably would've hit the ground. Take it easy, he said soothingly. I'm sorry. I knew you were hoping to find them.

"But Mi Ung . . . she was the Guardian," Loren whispered. "What's going to happen now that she's gone?"

Elfangor caught sight of something. Hey, what's all the commotion over there? 

Both of them turned. A crowd had gathered down the street. Without another word, husband and wife began moving towards them. 

"Strike, Tycoola!" Loren called. "What's going on?"'

Strike slithered as fast as she could. "It'ssss the Asssstral Dancer!" she hissed excitedly. "She'ssss brought a new Onyx Guardian!"

What?

"Who is it?"

Tycoola looked amazed. "It's Kyra," she said. 

As Kyra stood beside Zoey, she was practically in shock. With the crowd staring at her and shouting questions at Zoey, Kyra quickly ran over the past hours events in her mind.

__

"An Astral Dancer's job is to protect the various dimensions," said Zoey as she led Kyra to the Diamond Lair's dining room. "But I can't be everywhere at once, so I have to have help. That's where the Guardians come in. Each Guardian is assigned to a dimension – the one they're born in – and depending on their rank they can go to certain other dimensions. Each Guardian answers to a higher rank, except the Front Five, who answer to me. I in turn answer to the Astral Council, and the Astral Council answers to the High Lords of the Dimensions. It's a big cycle."

"That's nice," Kyra said, "but what does it have to do with me?"

"You're psychic," Zoey explained. "And Mi Ung is dead. Therefore, the Onyx had to choose a new master."

"I don't understand."

"It glowed for you. It brought you to the Onyx Lair. It brought you to me.

"The Onyx chose you_, Kyra. You're the new Onyx Guardian."_

"Kyra?"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her reverie and looked over at Zoey. Then she noticed that Zoey wasn't alone now. A tall blond woman stood beside her, and off to the side was the Andalite who had welcomed her to Elysia. Elfangor was his name. Which meant the woman was his wife, Loren. 

"Loren would like to have a word with you," Zoey said. "And I'm afraid that I have to run. There's a crisis in one of the outer Dimensions that needs tending to. I'll be back soon to check in on you, but for now, Loren will do. She often helped Mi Ung."

Kyra nodded. "Okay." 

When Zoey was gone, Loren turned to Kyra. "My house is just down to road. Why don't we talk there?"

"This must all be pretty hard for you to take in, huh?" Loren asked as she set a glass of water down in front of Kyra. 

Kyra took a sip and nodded. "Yeah. One minute, I'm being fooled by a crazy guy who wants to kill me for power, the next I'm in a huge room made of diamonds and some woman is telling me I have to help save the world."

Loren laughed. "That's one way of looking at it." Then her expression became sober. "Kyra – you do know what you have to do, right? What's expected of you?"

Kyra drew in a shaky breath. "I have to track down Eksonalotl. I have to kill him. I have to get the Escafil Device – the one I stole – back. Is that it?"

Loren nodded. "That's it in a nutshell."

A lot of people are counting on you, Kyra, Elfangor said, speaking up for the first time. If Eksonalotl gets enough power, he could leave this world. Right now he's trapped – we have to make sure he stays that way.

His wife gave him a look. "Way to put the pressure down, Elfangor," she said. "She's stressed enough as it is."

"That's how bad the situation is?" Kyra asked uncertainly. 

Loren hesitated, then said, "Yeah. That's how bad the situation is. We're going to have to handle this carefully."

"When do we start?"

"Okay. From what little information I got, Eksonalotl is power hungry," Loren said half an hour later. "That's his weak point."

You think? Arbron shot back. Gee, I could've told you _that_. And I'm _not_ psychic.

The next step, once Kyra had definitely decided she was doing this, was to call together the reinforcements. There was only a small handful of people both Elfangor and Loren would trust with their lives. That's what they said, at least. When the group was assembled in house, she was beginning to wonder what their definition of _small_ was.

Aside from Loren and Elfangor, there was Arbron: the sarcastic Andalite warrior who always seemed to have the need to get his two cents in. Strike: the Alleri serpent with a tendency to agree with Arbron and share his warped sense of humor. Tycoola: the overly serious Farsight who Kyra had already met. Srangi: the only dragon in Elysia who died when he was six hundred years old – young for a dragon. Laura: the former host of Visser One, or Nemu, who had entered Elysia alive and died here just the same. Alloran: another Andalite who had died after going through the traumatic experience of being a Yeerk host. And Erek: the pacifist Chee android with a knack for figuring out details that everyone else missed. Kyra got the feeling that this was a very close-knit group of friends who had been through a lot together. She wasn't entirely certain what.

Srangi sighed, causing little puffs of smoke to escape his nostrils. "So what we have is a crazy Darkstar trying to make his way into the real world. Great. And we thought the Neutro-Virus was bad."

"The Neutro-Virus was bad," Laura said calmly. "This just happens to be slightly worse." Alloran and Erek nodded in agreement.

Kyra took a deep breath. "You know, you guys do _not_ have to help me with this," she said quickly. "It's my duty, not yours."

This got a good laugh from Arbron and Strike. "Kyra, believe me, we want to help," Strike said. "And you're going to need all the help you can get."

"Besides," Erek cut in, "I think I ought to point out one very obvious face. Eksonalotl is gunning for Kyra. He's going to be expecting a new Onyx Guardian, and considering Kyra escaped – we might not have to go track this guy down.

"He might come to us."

Chapter Seven

"Boss?"

Eksonalotl turned to look at Malik. "What?" he snarled, his large eyes flashing dangerously. "Have you found her yet?"

"N – no, boss, but . . ."

"Then what are you doing here?!" Eksonalotl roared, a fierce black glow emanating from his body. It was enough to send the Hork-Bajir cowering.

"P – please, boss," Malik whimpered. "I just came to tell you – the Astral Dancer was sighted in the Golden Communities. Elysia, to be exact."

Immediately the glow died down. A grin appeared on Eksonalotl's face. "Do you know what that means, Malik?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Malik was too afraid to say anything.

"It means there's a new Onyx Guardian," finished Eksonalotl. "Let's go pay him or her a visit, shall we?"

It grew dark quickly that night, and the moon was new. Kyra was spending her first night in the Onyx Lair, getting some well deserved rest. She knew that even if she spent ten years on the astral plane, no time would pass in Elysia. She was counting on this.

There was no way she was going to get the Elysians involved. The minute she was rested enough, she was going after Eksonalotl.

The only problem was, she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

__

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Loren was woken by the sound of someone knocking on her back door. She'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table while going over old documents that might give some clue to where Eksonalotl's hideout was. 

"Who is it?" she called groggily, while looking over at the clock.

"It's Tycoola," came the reply. "I need to talk to you, Loren."

"Ty, it's three o' clock in the morning," Loren mumbled. 

"It's important, Loren."

Loren sighed and walked over to the door. "All right, all right. I'm coming."

She pulled open the door and said, "What is it, Ty?"

A chemical-soaked cloth was placed over her nose and mouth. Loren just barely had time to realize that it was soaked in chloroform before everything faded black.

Elfangor woke up suddenly. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was or how he'd gotten there. Then he remembered: he'd gone over to Arbron and Strike's house for the night because Loren had her hands full with something. 

Someone was pounding on the door to his room. What is it? Elfangor shouted.

"It'ssss Loren!" Strike shouted through the door. "There'ssss been a break-in at your houssse. Loren – she'ssss gone!"

Elfangor was out the door in a flash. Somebody get a hold of Kyra! he shouted as he ran to his home.

Chapter Eight

Kyra woke up suddenly as the walls of her room began glowing brightly. "What's going on now?" she groaned. 

Priority One message from the Golden Communities. Respond immediately in the Communications Room.

"Oh, great, now my house talks to me," she muttered. "Where's the Communications Room?"

Immediately she vanished from her bedroom and appeared in said Communications Room. Sighing, she walked over to the psychic interface. Kyra here. What's up?

Kyra, it's Arbron. We've got a crisis over here that needs attention. Immediately, in fact.

What's the crisis?

Eksonalotl's kidnapped Loren.

I'm on my way.

When Kyra arrived at Loren and Elfangor's house, the place was so swamped with Elysians that she could barely get through. Finally she caught sight of Elfangor and Arbron way up at the house – a good quarter mile from where she stood. She'd never get through.

Then she smiled. 

Sticking two fingers into her mouth, Kyra let loose with a time-honored trick her cousin had taught her some years before – a simple, loud, straightforward whistle that was sharp enough to burst the eardrums of any dog within a mile radius. 

It was certainly enough to get the attention of two Andalites – not to mention the entire crowd.

Let her through! Elfangor ordered the minute he caught sight of Kyra. Grumbling, the crowd parted like the Red Sea and allowed Kyra through.

"Thanks so much," Kyra said sarcastically to the complainers. To Elfangor, she said, "What exactly happened here?"

Arbron glanced at Elfangor. Loren had a lot of stuff to do, so Elfangor stayed over with Strike and me so that he could get some decent sleep. I went over just before I was about to go to bed to make sure Loren was all right and saw her being dragged out of the house. I was about to go after them when a giant portal opened up and they disappeared.

"Was the portal in a tree?" Kyra asked.

Arbron nodded. How did you know?

"I was drawn into Eksonalotl's place through a portal in a tree," Kyra explained. "I just thought . . . thought . . . thought something very important. I can't believe I didn't think of it before."

Think of what before? Elfangor demanded.

Kyra shook her head. "Listen, keep up whatever your doing. I want Eksonalotl to think that everyone is still panicking. Hopefully he'll keep Loren alive long enough for me to pull this off."

Pull what off?

But Kyra was already gone.

Loren stared fiercely up at Eksonalotl. Up because he was standing on a ledge over her head. Otherwise he would've come up to her waist. He wasn't a very tall Arn. 

"Why me?" she demanded. "What do I have that you could possibly want?"

Eksonalotl ignored her, just has she had been doing for the past hour and a half. Loren knew very well why she was there, of course. Bait. Bait for Kyra. And her psychic energy would be the perfect way to guide the Onyx Guardian into this trap. 

But the question was, would Kyra fall for it? Obviously Eksonalotl believed she would. Loren knew, though, that Kyra was already proving to go beyond Eksonalotl's expectations. 

"What do you want with me?!" she shouted again.

Finally the Darkstar turned to look at her. "You've had contact with previous Onyx Guardians," he answered. "I'm sure the new one will come to your aid. Whoever he or she is."

That was when Loren knew what their upper hand was. Eksonalotl didn't know Kyra was the new Guardian. And she didn't intend on handing him that information on a silver platter. Because she was psychic, she'd kept it hidden for now. But Darkstars were famous for ripping apart the minds of even well-trained psychics. At any time, Eksonalotl could do so to her.

She hoped Kyra would get there before it happened.

Chapter Nine

Kyra slammed into the Onyx Lair at top speed. As she ran through the main hall, she shouted, "Get me all the information you can on Darkstar Eksonalotl. Transfer to main memory bank."

Connecting to Sapphire Lair. Transferring all known information to main memory bank. Would you like transportation?

"No," she snapped. "Bring the information to me."

The air in front of her shimmered, and a large screen appeared. Perfect, she thought. Computer – access Eksonalotl's known hideouts.

The screen flickered, then began moving through massive amounts of pages. "I feel like I'm working the Internet here," Kyra muttered. "At about twelve-hundred times the speed."

Suddenly it stopped. On the screen was a list of worlds Eksonalotl had been spotted, which Guardians he had met up with, and the locations of all entrances to his pocket dimension. Kyra didn't need to study for too long to find out what she need.

Eksonalotl had a thing for trees.

"Close file," she commanded. The screen buzzed for a moment, then went blank. "Close memory bank." The screen flickered, and disappeared.

Kyra frowned. There were several thousand trees in the Golden Communities. And Eksonalotl most likely changed trees at a rapid pace. The chances of her actual finding the right one at the right time were slim to none. But she had to get into that pocket dimension.

An idea began to take shape in Kyra's mind. It was crazy, it was suicidal, and she was positive it would work.

It was a couple hours before dawn when Kyra put her plan into motion. She walked along the edge of the woods where she had first met Eksonalotl, glanced inconspicuously at each tree. Was there anything that would tell her one was different from the others? A strange glow, maybe, or a scar on the bark? Most of the trees were perfect, so a scar would be extremely noticeable. 

No scars.

No glowing, either. And she'd been at this for almost half an hour. Elfangor and Arbron were still leading a search for Loren, although the whole thing had begun to die down. She'd run out of time soon. 

Something was breathing heavily off to the side. Kyra continued walking, but slowed her pace ever so slightly. Her Onyx was beginning to give off an eerie glow, so she grabbed the chain and slid the gem under her shirt. It was the Darkstar alert, but she didn't want to Darkstar to know that.

Definitely a Hork-Bajir, thought Kyra. Hello, Malik.

The attack came swiftly. Kyra barely had time to drop the Onyx as Malik grabbed her and pulled her through the tree. 

Then all was quiet. 

The Onyx lay on the grass, dark as a dead stone.

Chapter Ten

Kyra woke up in the same cell she'd been in before. And once again, there was someone in there with her. But it wasn't Mi Ung this time – it was Loren.

"Loren," Kyra whispered, sitting up as fast as she could. "Are you all right?"

Loren nodded. "I've been better," she whispered back. "Is Elfangor all right?"

"Yeah," answered Kyra. "I told him not to come after us."

"Can you get us out of here?" Loren asked.

Kyra was about to tell her that she didn't have the Onyx when the door to the cell opened. "All right, ladies," Malik said, stepping inside. "The Boss wants to have a little chat with you."

Kyra nodded and stood up. Malik walked over and undid the chains holding Loren to the wall. The minute he stepped away from her, Loren spun around and caught him square in the jaw with her fist. Then she backed it up with a roundhouse kick to his chest. 

Malik hit the ground with a thud, and Kyra knelt down next to his head. "Sleep," she whispered, waving her hand over his eyes. His lids closed immediately, and his chest began to rise and fall with the heavy rhythm of someone in a deep sleep.

"That was good," Kyra said to Loren. "You've done that before?"

"Yeah," Loren admitted. "And it felt good to do it again. Let's get out of here."

"I was unconscious when they brought me in," Kyra said. "Were you?"

Loren shook her head. "Lucky, huh? I can pull the way out from the memory." Suddenly she looked a little less confident. "I hope."

"Let's give it a shot. Which way?" They had come to a T-junction.

Loren closed her eyes and concentrated. "Right."

Dawn was just breaking out over Elysia. 

A dark figure walked silently across the large field, up to the tree where Malik had pulled Kyra into Eksonalotl's hideout.

The Onyx glittered in the morning sun.

The figure reached down and picked up the gem. Staring at it with silted eyes, he smiled.

Then he turned and walked back the way he'd come.

"Careful," Loren called back to Kyra. "It's kind of slippery up here. And dark. Very dark."

Kyra stepped into the next corridor – and immediately felt like she'd gone blind. "This is not dark," she muttered. "This is black. Total and complete _black_."

She couldn't see Loren, that was for sure. "Loren?" she called. "You still up there?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Keeping one hand on the wall, Kyra carefully picked her way through the long hallway, moving deeper and deeper into the darkness. The gradual downward slope of the floor made her a little uneasy, but she couldn't place way – wait a sec. Downward?

Suddenly her mind flashed back to what the computer had told her. _The pocket dimension tends to have entrances within trees, and appears to be entirely underground . . . _

If they were trying to get to the exit, shouldn't they be going _up_?

At once her alarms began going off. With a grim smile, Kyra began pulling up as many psychic defenses as she could muster. There was definitely someone following her – turning back wasn't an option. 

But she was going to be a prepared as she could possibly be. And maybe, just maybe, she'd find the _real_ Loren on this little underground tour.

Zoey looked up from where she was slowly eating a late dinner, Diamond Lair time. "What are you doing here?" she asked. 

The figure stepped into the room. "There's trouble," he said.

"What kind of trouble?"

He held up the darkened Onyx. 

"Kyra?" Zoey's eyes darkened with fear. "Has she been killed?"

The figure shook his head. "No. She lives."

"Then Eksonalotl must have her," muttered the 62nd Astral Dancer. "I guess this means dessert will have to wait."

The figure held up his hand. "Let me handle this. Something else is going on here – if Eksonalotl hasn't killed Kyra, then he must want something from the Onyx Guardian. Something he wouldn't have been able to get from Mi Ung. I don't think he's playing with a full deck here."

"What are you going to do?" 

A smile curved on his lips. "Sore wa himitsu desu!" Noting Zoey's exasperation, he smiled wider. "'Bye." 

Then he was gone.

Zoey sighed and reached for her glass of water. "What is Eksonalotl up to?" she murmured.

It's worse than I thought, Kyra whispered in her mind as she stood in the middle of the large room. Just as she'd expected, it had all been a trap. And now she had to pay for her carelessness – she was no closer to finding Loren, and now her identity was revealed to Eksonalotl. 

The deranged Arn stood proudly on a six-foot tall ledge – a nutty attempt at trying to make himself taller and larger than he actually was. But there was a sharp and dangerous glitter in his eyes that revealed to Kyra just _how_ unbalanced he really was.

"So," Kyra said, folding her arms. "You want something from me. Wouldn't it have been easier to get it from Mi Ung?"

Eksonalotl laughed derisively. "That old nag?" he scoffed. "She's too by the book to do anything of this sort."

"Of what sort?"

He stopped laughing. "Well, it's goes something like this. See, not too long ago, a bunch of terrors were imprisoned in the different demon-lands of the different afterworlds. We want you to release them."

"You have _got_ to be kidding," Kyra said monotonously. 

Eksonalotl frowned. "I'm not."

This guy really is a few bricks short of a wall, Kyra asked. And what was scary was that he didn't seem to think it was much of a problem.

Standing in the shadows, concealed from Eksonalotl's view, Xellos Metallium frowned. This guy is crazy, he thought as the Darkstar went over the list of people he wanted Kyra to free. Crayak, Jenova, Demon Dragon King Gaav, Hellmaster Fibrizo – these are some big name bad guys. Even _I've_ heard of a lot of them.

Below him, Kyra seemed to be holding her own against Eksonalotl's demands. She definitely wasn't giving in. Xellos frowned. Eksonalotl had a lot of leverage, though. If he played his cards right, he'd get Kyra to do what he wanted. No question about that. 

Xellos needed to get rid of his leverage. 

Time to get to work, he thought.

Loren was not in a good mood. She'd been locked in this tiny, lightless cell for almost four hours now, and she was getting incredibly bored. To pass time, she quietly sang songs to herself, but that could only keep her occupied for so long. Pretty soon she was running out of songs.

"You look like you've been through hell and back," a strange voice said, snapping her out of her daze.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Sore wa himitsu desu," was the answer. "You want to help Kyra, right?"

"Yes," Loren answered slowly. 

The door to her cell swung open and light poured in. "Then follow me."

Chapter Eleven

Eksonalotl glared at Kyra. "So, what do you say, Onyx Guardian?"

"How did you know I was the Onyx Guardian?" Kyra demanded, desperately trying to gain extra time. 

"It was simple, really," Eksonalotl said. "I guessed."

Her eyes widened. I blew it! Eksonalotl had been bluffing the entire time. If she had played dumb and not blatantly confessed she was the Guardian, he wouldn't have had any proof. And me without the Onyx, too. Well, there's only one thing to do. "You know what, Eksonalotl?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. "I think I'll pass on your proposition."

The Arn's eyes flashed. "Kill her!" he screamed.

"_Obsidian Shock!_"

A blast of black energy snaked through several of Ekonsalotl's guards, incinerating them before they even had a chance to react.

"What?" Eksonalotl snarled. He turned his extra-large green eyes in the direction of the attack.

"Who --?" Kyra also looked, and almost laughed with relief.

The figure standing just inside the entrance to the large chamber was a Guardian. His black ensemble glittered dangerously, and his dark purple hair complimented the set nicely. The black stone on the top of his Staff glowed with power, and he wore a smirk on his face. 

Behind him stood Loren. Kyra felt a sense of relief at the sight of her friend. But she didn't have time to relax. Eksonalotl was getting angry.

"Who are you?" he shouted. "How dare you enter this dimension!"

The new Guardian tossed his hair. "Oh please," he said. "How dare _I_ enter this dimension? _I_ have every right to enter a dimension where one of my own allies is being kept against her will. Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Xellos Metallium." When this name refused to register on anyone's mind, he added, "the Obsidian Guardian."

The Obsidian Guardian. When Zoey made me the Onyx Guardian, she'd told me about a few of the other Guardians and their purposes. Not many, but a few. One of the ones she'd mentioned was the Obsidian Guardian. She wouldn't tell me much about him – only that he was something of a rogue. The Astral Council didn't think highly of him, mostly because of his reputation before he became a Guardian and because of his heritage. I didn't think this was fair, of course. According to Zoey, he was a freelancer, who did things his way and his way only. He didn't hesitate to get rid of somebody who got in his way. If he disagreed with someone, mortal or Guardian, he'd let them know, and he'd let them know _hard_.

The other thing she said about him was that, because of the above, she'd trust him with her life any day.

That's good enough for me.

Eksonalotl glared at Xellos. "I don't care who you are," he spat, "get out of my dimension!"

Xellos stared at him, one eye open and one eye shut. "Aren't you a rude little one?"

"Get him!" screamed Eksonalotl, coming completely unglued.

From the sides of the room, dozens of Darkstars charged at Loren and Xellos. "Kyra!" Loren shouted, throwing something towards me. I didn't hesitate to figure out what it was – I took a running leap and grabbed it out of mid-air.

It was the Onyx. "All right!" I cried. I looped the chain around my neck and spun around to face Eksonalotl. 

He was making a run for it. 

"Hey, come back here!" I shouted. "Power of Onyx, Come Into My Hand!"

Kyra, forget him! We need to leave, now! This whole dimension is collapsing upon itself!

It had to be Xellos. Giving the direction Eksonalotl had escaped in one more glare, I phased in between Xellos and Loren. 

"Where's Eksonalotl?" Loren asked.

I pointed in the direction he left in. 

Xellos shook his head. "He went deeper into his dimension."

"Why would he do that if he was making it collapse?"

"He didn't," answered Xellos. "I did. Come on, let's leave." He gripped his Staff. "Obsidian."

Loren latched onto my arm, and I followed. "Onyx."

As I disappeared, I watched the pocket dimension – and presumably Eksonalotl – disappear into dust.

"What's the word on Eksonalotl?" Zoey asked a few hours later.

"There's no sign of him," Xellos replied. "His pocket dimension is completely destroyed, but I haven't picked up any astral power even remotely resembling his. There's a good chance – that he escaped."

Zoey nodded. "And the Escafil Device?"

"It reappeared in Elysia minutes after the dimension collapsed," answered Kyra. 

"Loren?"

"We escorted her home safely."

The Astral Dancer nodded. "All right. I see everything has been dealt with as well as can be expected, under the circumstances." She stood up. "I'll leave the two of you to your dimensions. Meanwhile, I'll be out of reach for a while. There are conflicts in one of the rim-Dimensions that still need to be resolved."

"Anything we can help with?" Xellos asked.

Zoey smiled slightly. "Not really. Don't worry – I can handle things. You two take a rest before returning to work, okay? That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, giving her a mock-salute. She laughed, then disappeared. Xellos and I suddenly found ourselves in my Lair. "You leaving?"

He nodded. "I always do," he said. "Nice working with you, Kyra." He held out his hand, and I shook it. "Take care."

"I will," I said. "And thanks. For saving my life."

He gave me a sad smile. "I'm used to it, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Stay out of trouble, got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." With those words, he bowed slightly and disappeared.

I sighed and flopped down on the living room couch. "What a day," I said to myself. "What a day."

Epilogue

It was awhile before I saw Xellos again. Actually, about two years by my dimension. And while we kept in touch, we hadn't really talked much. Neither of us really knew what the other was up to.

Unfortunately, working together again wasn't our decision. No, there was a problem much greater than before. And since we were the only ones out of the First Five who were completely active – Emerald, Jasper, and Ruby were still unaccounted for – the two of us were chosen to solve the problem.

And boy, what an adventure that led us to.

This is the first in a spin-off series from my crossover series **Astral Dancer**. This series chronicles the life of Onyx Guardian Kyra, first introduced in my Animorphs story _Feral Scream_. The crossover in this one? Obviously the character Xellos from the animes Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY. I don't own this character, or any characters mentioned above that are not of my creation. I merely used them in my story.

If I don't get any reviews saying they liked this story, I won't post anymore in this series. Let me know what you think: if you liked it and want more, let me know. Here's a preview of the next story:

Next on:

THE ONYX SAGA

JAILBREAK!

Being entrusted with the land of dead for every dimension that ever existed is not an easy task. To make it easier on the Onyx Guardian, the Wastelands for every dimension were combined into one large prison camp. If you were evil during your life, this is where you went. 

No one has ever escaped from this prison.

Until now.

With her fellow First Five Guardians wrapped up in situations in their own worlds, Kyra must find a way to restore order to the Nether Realms and retrieve the prisoners of the Wastelands – before they escape for good. 


	5. Unicorn Horizon

The Sapphire Saga #1

Unicorn Horizon

Prologue

I hate this.

I hate feeling like I'm useless!

I don't deserve this. I know Score and Pixel are wondering what happened. I know they know something's up. Especially after Pixel found one of the Guardian Chronicles in the castle. 

My name is Helaine. I'm the Sapphire Guardian.

And thanks to a particularly dangerous adventure I was recently involved in, one where I nearly died, I can no longer use a sword as well as I could in the past.

It's getting harder for me to keep my identity a secret.

I hate keeping secrets from Score.

I hate it when I make him worry.

I hate the fact that I can't just tell him how I feel.

And I hate that I don't know how he feels, either.

Chapter One

The sun streamed in through the window and hit her full on in the face. Helaine's eyes snapped open and she covered them with her hand, snarling as she sat up. "Who opened my window?" she muttered. 

"Helaine?" 

"What is it, Pixel?" she snapped through the closed door. 

"I just wanted to know if you were up."

"I'm up, I'm up, okay? I wouldn't be talking if I weren't up." She rolled out of bed and began pulling on her tunic. "What time is it?"

"Ten to eleven," he answered. "I'm on my way to the unicorn fields. Score's downstairs, making breakfast. He asked me to come see if you wanted something."

"I didn't eat dinner last night. Yes, I want something." She tightened her scabbard around her waist and made sure her sword was secure. Tying her hair back away from her face, she pulled open the door. "What's he making?"

"I don't know," answered Pixel. "Whatever we want, I guess. He loves changing things."

Helaine nodded. "You already eat?"

He held up a bag. "I'm taking it with me. Nova and I are going to go scout the far fields today. We still don't know what was making that strange magical energy."

It was a creep named Salimanc, thought Helaine. Of course, I can't tell you that, Pix. Why? Because it's Council's orders. God, being a Guardian is so annoying. 

She turned a sharp right and walked into the kitchen. "Hey," Score said, turning to look at her. "What'll it be?"

"Anything and everything," she said, sliding into a seat. "I thought it was Pixel's turn to cook."

"We traded," he replied. "He wanted to get an early start with Nova, and you were fast asleep. I decided to wait up for you. Are you going to visit Flame today?"

Helaine considered it. Then she suddenly remembered the reason she'd gotten in so late last night. "Can't. I've got something else to do."

"You always have something else to do," he muttered, turning a bunch of raw eggs into an omelet. "Bacon?"

"Yes, thank you," she said automatically. "I can't believe I slept this late."

Score set the plate down in front of her, then sat across from her with his own meal. "Well you got in after one o' clock. I'm not surprised you slept practically half the day away."

"How'd you know when I got back?" she asked, shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth.

"I was still up," he answered. "Wondering where you were, actually. You know Pixel and I get worried after five hours of no-Helaine. I mean, things get eerie without you acting all high-and-mighty and telling us what to do."

"Oh, shut up," she snapped. Suddenly losing her appetite, she pushed away from the table and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a couple hours."

Score stared after her. "I'll never understand women," he muttered. "Especially her."

Helaine hurried into the communications room in her Lair. "Sapphire Guardian, Helaine Votrin, online."

Obisidan Guardian, Xellos Metallium, online. Connecting now.

"Hello, Helaine." The astral projection of Xellos Metallium stood in front of her. "How are things going?"

"Fine, Superior," she replied. "Dimension 1381113326 is in good shape. Yesterday's breach has been taken care of."

Xellos nodded. "Good. Listen, Helaine, about that breach . . ." He hesitated, seemingly unsure of whether he should go on or not.

"Superior?"

"Computer, switch this to a secure line," Xellos said suddenly. Helaine raised her eyebrows. The only Guardians that had the ability to secure a line, besides the Astral Dancer, were the First Five. Other than that, the Astral Council were able to monitor everything. Whatever Xellos had to say, it must have been something he didn't want them to hear. "All right. I was going over the data you got from the breach opening," he continued, "and it didn't look Darkstar in origin."

"What are you talking about, Xellos?" she asked. Thank God I don't have to call him Superior when we're on a secure line. "What else could it be but Darkstar?"

"It was Guardian, Helaine," Xellos said dismally. "I'm not saying you made it," he hurried on rapidly, "but it was definitely a Guardian. And somehow, he or she is cloaking themselves from us. This isn't the only breach like this we've encountered in the last few months. There was one over in the Emerald Dimension, and it was created between on Onyx and Emerald."

Now Helaine understood. Emerald and Onyx were two of the five – Obsidian, Jasper, and Ruby completed the group, although currently Ruby was abandoned. They obviously suspected that a Guardian had turned traitor on the Council . . . but they didn't know who, so they didn't want to Council involved. Although the Council would definitely be more efficient –

She gasped. "You don't suspect someone in the Council, do you?"

"That speculation will _never_ leave this room," Xellos said hurriedly. "I can't say for certain what I suspect and what I don't. This has been puzzling us all for a while now. Something strange is going on here. You know that it took forever to find the Leopardstone Guardian?"

"I know," she said, a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"We still don't know why that happened, entirely," said Xellos. "We have a lot of digging. I just want you to be on the alert, all right? Switching off secure."

"All right, Superior," Helaine said, immediately formal. "I will complete my patrols with caution. Thank you."

"Thank you, Helaine." Xellos nodded approvingly, then snapped off the connection.

Helaine sighed and leaned against the blue wall. I wonder if it's too late to go see Flame. I need to talk to someone.

Speaking of the young unicorn, Flame happened to be resting calmly near the far end of her father's land when Helaine arrived. "Flame?" Helaine whispered, kneeling down. "Are you awake?"

*Huh?* Flame awoke with a start, rolling off her side and climbing to her feet. *Oh, hello, Helaine. Score said you probably wouldn't be coming by today.*

"My plans changed," Helaine said, smiling. "Where is Score?"

Flame shook out her mane and nodded in the direction of the main field. *He and Father are catching up on things. He was worried about you.*

"Who, your father?"

*No, Score!* Flame laughed. *You know Father never lets on that he's worried about anything. Score asked me if I knew what was up with you.* She eyed her friend carefully. *What _is_ going on, Helaine?*

Helaine sighed. "Believe me, Flame, if I could tell anyone, you'd be the first to know. I've just got some things to work out, that's all."

*How's the arm?*

Helaine grimaced as she rotated it slowly. "Hurts like hell, but I'll get over it. It'll give me a chance to brush up on my magic."

Flame laughed again, and Helaine knew she'd come to the right place to be cheered up. 

But the cheerful mood was suddenly broken when a tall chocolate-brown unicorn adorned with white specks came charging up the rise. *Flame!* he called.

*What is it, Cloud?* Flame asked, turning to greet the newcomer. But Cloud wasn't in any mood for greetings.

*You must come quickly,* Cloud said. *Thunder's orders. There's been an accident involving your mother.*

"What happened?" Helaine demanded as she, Cloud, and Flame came running through the crowd. Score looked up, his eyes betraying his surprise at seeing her there, but he didn't dare question it. 

"She was attacked," he said, kneeling next to the fallen unicorn. "Pixel saw the whole thing."

"It was a Sphinx," he said shakily, and Helaine noticed that he had part of Score's shirt wrapped around his arm. The cloth was already being soaked with blood. "You know her fears. Well, she managed to push me out of the way before it got down, and it went after her instead. I managed to scare it off with a few fireballs – it was pretty young – but she was badly injured. More so than she let on. We made it back here, and she collapsed a second later."

Helaine knelt down on Nova's other side and gently placed a hand on one of the bleeding wounds. "Easy, Nova," she said soothingly when the unicorn started at the sting. "How long has she been down?" she asked Score.

"Fifteen minutes," he replied. "Thunder and I were just getting ready to go after the two of them when they got back. Another herd had warned us about the Sphinx." He was already pressing a water-soaked cloth onto a wound on Nova's neck. "I don't think any major arteries got ruptured, but I'm no doctor."

"It doesn't look like it," agreed Helaine, taking a look herself. "Do either of you know any healing spells?" 

"Minor ones at best," replied Score. "I sent a couple unicorns to the castle to get the medical supplies, but they aren't back yet."

"I don't know if we can wait that long," murmured Helaine. An idea formed in the back of her mind. She knew a few healing spells thanks to being a Guardian, but she couldn't dare transform in front of a whole herd of unicorns . . . and Score. But maybe if she just concentrated her energy through the sapphire . . . "I'm going to try something."

"What are you doing?" Score asked, his voice never rising above a whisper. "Where'd you get that sapphire?" It was twice as large as her original gem had been – the one she used for levitation spells.

Helaine gripped the sapphire in one hand and placed the other on Nova's flank. Please let this work, she begged. Forgive me, Xellos. If the Obsidian Guardian found out what she was doing, she'd be grounded to her dimension for the next month. "_Recovery_," she whispered.

Score fell back in shock and surprise as a brilliant blue light emanated from Helaine's hand. It ran along Nova's coat, darkened where her wounds were worst, disappeared into her eyes and nostrils and mouth and ears. It grew until she wasn't Nova, but a beacon of unicorn-shaped light.

Then the light disappeared, and Nova lay sleeping on the ground, each and every one of her wounds gone. Helaine slid her sapphire back under her tunic and sat back, clearly exhausted. It was a lot of work using astral magic when she wasn't a Guardian.

"I'm not going to ask questions now," Score said, his voice low, "but we're going to have a talk about this when we get back to the castle."

Helaine, for once, didn't have the strength to argue.

"Okay, what was that?" Score hissed an hour later. Helaine knew that he wanted to yell, that he wanted to shout the words at the top of his lungs, but Pixel was sleeping and Score didn't want to risk waking him up. "That was no regular spell, Helaine. Healing's hard to do – since when can you do it?"

Helaine folded her arms across her chest and said nothing. 

"Answer me!" he snapped. "Don't you dare put on that rich girl act for me. You're hiding something – you've been hiding something for the past year! And a month ago you come trudging in here, barely able to hold your sword, and your arm hasn't gotten better at all. What's going on, Helaine?"

She refused to meet his eyes. There was no way she could face the anger in them.

"Helaine, please," Score said, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I'm worried about you, okay? Whatever this is – you don't have to deal with it alone. Pixel and I, we can help you. Please. Just trust me."

"I _do_ trust you, Score," Helaine said tightly. "And Pixel. And that's why I can't tell you what's going on. I care about you guys too much to get you involved. I . . . I . . ." Come on, girl, say it! You can say it! "Please," she said, her courage faltering. "Let me handle this."

"Helaine . . ."

Suddenly her sapphire began to gleam. The glow wasn't enough yet for him to catch, but there was Darkstar activity. "I have to go," she said, standing up. "And if you follow me, so help me Score, I'll kill you. I will."

Score stood and stared at her.

She turned and walked away, phasing away as she turned to go down the hallway.

Chapter Two

Helaine gripped the hilt of her sword as she moved through the trees. She had to be really careful – the Darkstar energy was coming from within the unicorn fields. She hoped it wasn't a unicorn she'd have to face . . . she had trouble even thinking about hurting the noble creatures.

She was also running the risk of one of the unicorns seeing her. Most of them knew her by now – if anyone saw her use her power, they'd be sure to tell Thunder, who in turn would definitely tell Score. 

Then she stopped. "Hello," she said to the dark figure crouched on the ground. She knew immediately that this was not a normal creature – there were, after all, no other humans on Dondar besides her and the boys. And this person was definitely human.

Or human-looking.

The young girl turned to look at Helaine. "Hello," she said softly. "I hope I'm not trespassing on your land. I was just taking a walk."

"How did you get here?" Helaine asked.

"I'm a magic-user," said the girl. She didn't look more than eight years old. "I've been here for almost a week. I didn't know there were other humans here."

"There are," said Helaine. "Do you need help?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. I'm hungry."

"Would you like something to eat?"

A smile curved on the girl's face. "Actually . . . yes." Immediately the face shifted to become that of a vampire's. Helaine had never fought a vampire before, but she knew it couldn't be killed normally if it were a Darkstar. 

The vampire charged at her. Helaine was ready. She whipped out her sword and slammed the flat side into the creature's head, knocking it to the ground. Then she drove the blade through the heart. 

"Foolish girl," snarled the Darkstar. "I can't be killed so easily."

"I know," Helaine said. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and her sapphire gleamed against her tunic. "I have three words for you: _Noraa stel og._"

"You'll regret this," whispered the Darkstar as she was taken into the sapphire.

Helaine looked at her jewel. "I don't think so," she said. "Sapphire."

She disappeared, completely oblivious to the fact that someone had witnessed the entire thing. *I have to tell Flame,* Dustdevil whispered. He turned and galloped off. 

Chapter Three

"Ah, I just love relaxing," Helaine sighed as she leaned back in the bathtub within the Sapphire Lair. "I don't get to do this nearly as much as I like to."

She glanced over at her jewel, which was hanging on a hook near the door. "Hmm?" she murmured, suddenly sitting up. "Why is it glowing like that?"

The sapphire was glowing in an unusual way – an outer glow, as opposed to the inner glow that usually accompanied it. There couldn't be any problems in her dimension – the alarms weren't going off. Helaine quickly pulled herself out of the water and donned her clothes, not even bothering to dry herself off. "Oh, great, why do I always end up wearing a dress when I'm here? Can't I just wear my armor?" she growled as she pulled her good arm into the sleeve of the blue gown. 

Sliding her feet into the matching heels, Helaine grabbed her sapphire and hurried out of the room. "Computer, what's going on here?" she demanded. 

Unknown. The Sapphire is not reacting on its own, not in sycronization with the Lair.

Something caught her eye through the window. "What?" she murmured. "Oh God! Computer, contact Xellos immediately!"

What shall I say?

"Tell him to get over to the Ruby Lair," Helaine snapped, transforming. "Someone's broken in!" 

Staff in hand, Helaine sprinted towards the Ruby Lair as fast as she could. Up ahead, she could see three more figures running full tilt. One was Xellos. The other two were Guardians she'd never seen before. 

"Thanks for the update, Helaine," Xellos said. "I brought Elena along – we ran into Trowa on the way." The Jacinth and Aquamarine Guardians nodded in greeting.

"I saw the intruder from my own Lair," explained Trowa, glancing at the dark Lair with his eye. Helaine assumed he was watching with the other eye, too, but she couldn't see it through the thick brown bang covering it. 

"Let's be calm about this," Xellos said, gripping his Staff tightly. "No one but the Ruby Guardian is supposed to be able to enter this place."

"No one but the Council," muttered Elena. She held the Jacinth Staff out in front of her. "It's pretty dark in there. _Jacinth Light!_"

The jewel on the top of the Staff began to glow brightly. Xellos took the lead and slowly approached the door – which stood wide open. 

"Anybody know what's kept in here?" he whispered.

Trowa frowned. "I think I heard something about a key. But I'm not entirely certain."

"A key? And you don't know what it is?" Helaine looked at him.

"Hai," he replied. 

"You _would_ speak Japanese," muttered Elena. 

"Be quiet, all of you!" snapped Xellos. "Let's go." Together, the foursome entered the unusually open Ruby Lair, with only the light on the top of the Jacinth Staff for them to see by.

"This isn't enough," muttered Trowa, quickly conjuring a light spell of his own. It wasn't as strong as Elena's specialty, but it did the trick. Xellos and Helaine immediately followed his example.

"This isn't like any of the other Lairs I've seen," murmured Elena. "It's so dark and dreary."

"The Ruby Guardian hasn't been here in a long time," replied Xellos. "Without the Ruby to sustain it, the Lair slowly deteriorates. Judging from the condition this place is in – the Ruby Guardian hasn't been around in a _long_ time."

Helaine held up her hand. "Look. Someone else is giving off their own light spell up ahead."

"On your guard, everyone," Xellos said, extinguishing his light. "Trowa, cancel your own spell. This is the Ruby Lair – your power will be amplified. We must be ready for anything."

"Hai."

Cautiously, Xellos led them into the room with the light.

"Who are you?" Xellos held his Staff out in front of him, ready to attack at any moment. 

The dark figure turned around. "Who are _you_?" it whispered.

"I think I asked you that question first," snarled Xellos, his slitted eyes flashing angrily. "Now again . . . who are you?"

Fangs glinted in Elena's light. Helaine drew in a sharp breath and clutched her own Staff tight. Trowa clenched his jaw, and Elena muttered something under her breath about vampires. The figure moved, and a glimpse of spotted fur could be seen. 

"Hold it!" Helaine said, holding up her hand. "Rahn?"

Rahn froze. "Who . . . ?"

Helaine reached up and removed her face mask, revealing herself to the leopard-woman. "Helaine!" Rahn gasped, a look of something between delight and uncertainty crossing her feline features.

"You know this creature?" asked Xellos.

"She's a Beastial," answered Helaine. 

"Not a Darkstar?" demanded Trowa. 

Helaine shook her head, then thought better of it. "I don't think so. Rahn, what are you doing here?"

"A Portal brought me," answered Rahn. "I do not know why. I do not know where I am. And I do not know what you are doing here." 

"I don't have any answers to the first two, but the last question is a long story," replied Helaine. "Rahn, you absolutely can_not_ tell anyone that I'm here."

"Where is here?"

Xellos held up both hands. "Time out. I think we have a problem on our hands – such as, how could Rahn have come here? She's _not_ a Guardian, and this Lair has been sealed for several cycles."

"Can we talk about this someplace else?" Elena asked cautiously. "This place is beginning to give me the creeps."

Xellos nodded. "We'll go to the Obsidian Lair."

"Count me out," said Trowa. "Now that I know the Ruby Lair is fine, I'll be returning to my own dimension. Ja ne."

"Ja," Xellos called to the Gundam pilot's retreating back. Look at the others he added, "Shall we?"

Dustdevil galloped across the main clearing of his herd's lands. *Thunder!* he called to the black unicorn. *Flame!* Normally, a young unicorn such as himself would've been reprimanded for addressing the leader of the herd in such an informal way, but Dustdevil was granted an unusual pardon due to his relationship with the herd leader's daughter. 

*Is something the matter, Dustdevil?* Thunder asked, lifting his head from where his wife lay to look at the young colt. 

*You will never guess what I just saw,* Dustdevil gasped out as he slowed to a halt. 

*Well, don't just keep us in suspense,* Flame said, nudging his neck with her nose. *What did you see?*

*I saw Helaine,* he said. *I saw her use magic.*

*That's not unusual,* Thunder and Flame chorused together.

*It was like no magic I'd ever seen before,* Dustdevil persisted. *And she was fighting this weird-looking creature that I don't think was from Dondar. She pulled it into a large sapphire hanging around her neck. And then she disappeared into the thin air.*

Thunder pawed the ground. *Flame? Do you know of any of ths?*

Flame shook her head. *No, Father.*

"Neither do we," Score's voice said from behind them. The three unicorns turned to see him and a ragged but healthier-looking Pixel standing there. Score looked less than pleased with what he had just overheard. "Apparently Helaine's been keeping some secrets from us. All of us."

"The one you call Helaine is very good at deception," an unfamiliar voice hissed. "I could tell you stories about her."

"Who are you?" demanded Score as they looked at this new intruder. 

"I am someone who is being hunted by your so-called friend," the newcomer hissed. "I've been watching you for awhile, wondering if you could give me any information on how to defend myself from her. But judging from what I just heard . . . you have no idea of the evil that Helaine possesses."

"*Evil?!*"

Chapter Four

"Are you sure you don't know what happened, Rahn?" Helaine asked, looking at the leopard-woman. 

Rahn nodded. "One second I'm hunting through the forest, prowling for my next meal, when a Portal opened up. I tried to run out, but it grew too big and pulled me through. I ended up here. I don't understand why."

Elena frowned. "Could something be happening on Treen?" he mused. "Something that Rahn would be needed out of the way to deal with?"

"We have to assume this is a Darkstar situation," Xellos said. "A mortal wouldn't just be sent to the astral plane for no reason – and the fact that she appeared in the Ruby Lair is even more peculiar. I've always wondered if that Lair was somewhat unstable."

"You think that's what happened to the Ruby Guardian?" asked Elena. "That she was somehow pulled through a Portal like Rahn described?"

"Too soon to tell," Xellos said. He looked pained. "I'm issuing an order. From now on, Sapphire, Jacinth, and Obsidian will communicate only in person. It's the only way to prevent the Council from overhearing us."

Rahn glanced at them. "Politics," she growled.

"Dangerous politics," agreed Xellos. "All right. Helaine, get back to your own dimension and look into this. Check Treen, check in with any magic-user who might have a clue."

Helaine nodded. "I'll talk to Shanara," she said. "She's bound to sense something. And I'll take Rahn back to Treen in the process."

"If there's anything suspicious, report back here immediately. Understood?"

"Understood." Helaine turned to Rahn. "Ready to go?"

Rahn stood up and nodded. "Yes. My fellow Beastials are probably wondering where I am."

"Probably not. Time moves differently. One year in the astral plane is one second in the real world, no matter what world. But then you have to take in account the time differences between different worlds and everything . . . but we don't really bother with that." Elena sighed. "Life's complicated enough as it is."

"No arguments here," Xellos and Helaine said simultaneously. 

Chapter Five

"Shanara?" Helaine called as she walked through the long hall in Shanara's castle. "Are you here?"

"Helaine?" She turned to see Blink padding his way towards her. "Helaine, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask Shanara something," Helaine said. "Is she here?"

"She's at her scrying pool," replied Blink. "Follow me."

Following behind the familiar, Helaine soon emerged in the large room that Shanara was often in when she was afraid of something. The tall, now orange-haired sorceress was standing near the pool, looking at the water. Even from the distance she was at, Helaine could tell she was worried. "Shanara?"

Shanara spun around. "Helaine!" she cried, her voice tinged with relief. "Great. Get over here and look at this. Maybe you can clear a few things up."

Helaine hurried to Shanara's side and looked into the pool. "It's the unicorn herd," she said, confused. "Is something wrong with Thunder or Flame?"

Shanara concentrated, and a certain point in the picture grew and intensified. Now the pool showed Flame, Thunder, Nova, Dustdevil, a few other unicorns, and Score and Pixel talking to a strange figure in a black shroud. Helaine frowned. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

Shanara nodded. "Whoever that person is has been, for the last half hour, telling your friends that you're evil, that you've come across new powers that have corrupted you, and that you've been trying to kill her because she tried to stop you from using your powers to destroy a unicorn herd a month ago."

Helaine gasped. "That wasn't me! I did everything I could do to prevent that!"

"Helaine, I don't know what's going on, but I do know that Score and Pixel have been very worried about you," Shanara said. "They think you're keeping something from them. I hate to say it, but put that in perspective with what this person is saying, and there's a good chance that they're going to believe her."

Helaine watched the expressions on her friends' faces. Even though the picture was slightly distorted due to the scrying, she could see the hurt and betrayal on their faces. "Damn it!" she cursed. "Shanara, I can't explain what's going on right now. I need to get to Dondar. But I promise I'll tell you and Blink everything the minute I get this cleared up."

"Do you need any help?"

"If this person is what I think she is, there's nothing you can do." Helaine pulled her Sapphire out of her tunic and closed her eyes. "Sapphire!" 

Shanara and Blink watched with open mouths as she disappeared in a flash of blue light. 

Then they turned back to the scrying pool.

Chapter Six

"And that's my story," the shrouded girl, who's name was Shanicca, finished. "I tried to stop her, but this power – it made her crazy."

Pixel frowned. "Helaine _has_ been acting strange lately."

"Yeah, but evil? I don't think so." Score folded his arms across his chest and focused on Shanicca. "Why should we believe anything you say?"

Shanicca took a step towards him. "Please, Score – I'm only trying to look after this herd and the two of you. I don't want this place to end up like the last herdlands."

*I don't believe this,* Flame said suddenly. *I know Helaine. She would never do anything like this. She loves unicorns.*

*Yes, but if she's under the control of an evil power . . .* Nova's voice trailed away in uncertainty.

__

This doesn't make sense, Score thought. _If this power is the same power that Helaine used earlier, then why would an evil power heal Nova?_

"Why don't we continue this conversation back at the castle?" Pixel suggested. "It looks like it's beginning to rain."

*I'll second that,* Thunder said. 

The group, with Nova being helped by her husband, began to move off in the direction of the castle.

"Freeze, Shanicca."

Shanicca spun around and found herself facing a fuming Helaine. 

"You!" Shanicca gasped. "Get away from me!" She stumbled backwards into Pixel, who grabbed her arm to steady her. 

"Get away from you?" Helaine took a step forward. "Why don't _you_ get away from my friends? I don't know what your people are planning, Shanicca, but you're not going to take the Sapphire Dimension with you."

"She's crazy!" Shanicca said, visibly shaking. "She'll kill me!"

Helaine looked at Score and Pixel. "Do you guys honestly believe that? Do you really believe what she's saying?"

"You _have_ been acting different," Score said cautiously.

Helaine opened her mouth to object when her Sapphire glowed brightly. Before anyone could comment about anything, Helaine spun around and fired a fireball at a unicorn that was running over to see what was going on. The fireball slammed into the unicorn, and he went down like a sack of bricks.

Helaine gasped. She knew that the unicorn had been a Darkstar – she had sensed the telltale astral signature. She knew that Shanicca was a Darkstar, too. But she also knew what that would look like the group watching her. 

Slowly she turned back to face them.

It was clear now that they were all shocked. She could clearly see the horror on their faces. But what hurt most was the raw emotion on Score's face as he refused to meet her eyes. "It's not what it looks like," Helaine whispered. 

Thunder hung his head. *Negate her magic,* he told a group of nearby unicorns. When Helaine's eyes widened, he added, *I had them prepare, just in case you returned.*

Helaine looked at Shanicca – and felt the smug triumph radiating from her. Helaine was positive that Shanicca was not her real name; there was no Darkstar on record by that name. But who was she? Shanicca reached up to tuck a piece of black hair under her hood – and a hand covered with scales flashed for a moment. 

Shanicca saw the smile on Helaine's face and froze. "Hello, Marista," Helaine said, her hand going to her jewel. "I've heard a lot about you." Even while she felt the unicorns draining her magic, she whipped out her sword and lashed out at Marista, not even trying to mask the pain she felt. The tip of the sword caught the hood, and the shroud fell away. 

Chapter Seven

"Score, Pixel," Helaine said, staring at the lizard girl, "meet your first Darkstar."

Suddenly Helaine let out a startled gasp and fell to her knees. "Damn it, Thunder, call off you unicorns!" she gasped. The negating was beginning to effect her astral magic . . . since the power was infused with her soul, if she lost it, she'd die.

Thunder looked startled. *Cease negating,* he commanded. Then he turned to Shanicca – or Marista, as we must now call her. *Explain this.*

"I never said I was human," Marista said. She looked at them with one eye, the other nothing but a large scar covering the socket. 

Helaine didn't have any strength to do more than sit – and talk. She had to get Marista to drop her good-little-girl act. "That scar," she said. "Cat gave it to you, right?"

Marista spun around and faced her, her eye flashing. 

"She sliced you good," Helaine said, adopting a tone she'd often heard Score use. She wasn't used to taunting people, but in this case she figured she'd give it a try. "It wasn't very nice, trying to steal her position."

"What are you talking about?" Marista asked in confusion.

Helaine gripped her arm painfully – the masking spell had vanished and now all her pain was visible. "You Darkstars never know when to quit," she growled. "I'm really getting sick of you. First you try to kill me, then you try to take over my dimension, now you're trying to turn my friends against me. Why don't you just _give up?_ Or are you too afraid of what Lothos will do if he finds out you screwed up?"

It worked. With an enraged scream, Marista lashed out at Helaine with her tail, the poison tip flashing in the light as it hurled towards her at breakneck speed. Helaine closed her eyes – even if Marista killed her, at least her cover had been blown.

Something whistled past her head.

Helaine opened her eyes at the sound of Marista's scream, and gasped when she realized why Marista was screaming . . . her tail had been severed from her body, and now lay motionless on the ground. It didn't hurt Marista, since, being a lizard, she was used to losing her tail, but it sure had startled her.

The offending object lay in the ground, standing straight up because the top was embedded in the ground.

The Obsidian Staff.

Chapter Eight

"Having trouble, Helaine?" Xellos asked as he phased in next to her. He held out his hand, and his Staff flew into it.

Helaine grimaced as she moved her arm. "Just a little," she said. "It seems Marista here is none to happy with me."

Marista turned her fury in the direction of Xellos. "Must you _always_ show up and ruin everything?"

Xellos nodded. "I'm afraid it's a pet peeve of mine."

"Would someone like to explain what's going on?" Score demanded.

Xellos grinned and opened one eye. "Sure. We're the good guys, she's the bad guy. Magic wise, we outnumber her four to one. So why are we standing on two different sides?"

"Actually, it's three to one," groaned Helaine. Xellos looked at her, alarmed. "I just had my magic negated."

"Negated?" Xellos growled low in his throat. "The unicorns? Great. I thought they were your friends."

*We were told Helaine was taken over by an evil power,* one of the unicorns said defensively. *But now we don't know _what_ to think. She killed a unicorn!*

"Fabe? Darkstar. See, he's not even there anymore." Xellos pointed to where the ground was scorched from the fireball but no unicorn lay. 

"Now I'm officially confused," Score groaned. 

But as usual, Pixel wasn't. "Apparently Marista or whoever you are tricked us. She told us the truth – but disguised the facts. It was really her who did the stuff she claims Helaine did. And Helaine . . . uh, I'm still working on that one."

"Sapphire Guardian," replied Xellos. "And I'm her Superior, Xellos Metallium. And right now, I think I'm about ready to take care of this pest problem."

Marista opened her mouth and her fangs glistened. "Try it. _Gaav Flare!_"

"This isn't an astral spell!" shouted Helaine. "Here we go again!" 

"Damn it," growled Xellos. "_Obsidian Shock!_"

"Everyone get down!" 

Chapter Nine

Helaine threw herself at Score just as the two spells connected. The resounding explosion was unbelievable, knocking everyone off their feet. Helaine winced as she tried to move her arm, then realized that if she hadn't moved then Score would've been hit by the Gaav Flare. Score pulled himself into a sitting position. "Helaine?"

"Yes?"

"I'm grateful to you for pushing me out of the way, but could you get up please?" Helaine blushed when she realized she was lying on top of his legs. Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself up.

"You're hurt!" Score exclaimed suddenly. "Never mind. Don't move."

Helaine rolled her eyes and hoped that her blushed hadn't deepened. "Make up your mind."

"Helaine, I could use some help," Xellos gasped out. He was visibly drained from using his specialty attack. 

"Understood." Helaine ignored Score's protests and stood up shakily. Marista took one look at her and burst out laughing. 

"You idiot girl," she gasped, "with your powers negated, there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Power of Sapphire, come into my hand."

Marista stopped laughing. "Wha --? Impossible! You're not supposed to be able to transform!"

"I still have some fight left in me," Helaine said, her blue armor shining in the sun. She pointed at the Sapphire on her Staff. "Besides, the unicorns negated the wrong sapphire."

Chapter Ten

"You can't beat me alone," Marsita said, but now her voice seemed somewhat shaky.

"She's not alone." Helaine glanced over to see Score coming up to her left side.

"That's right," Pixel chimed in, stepping forward as well. "We're a team. Even if she _does_ keep secrets from us."

"I won't do it again," promised Helaine.

"This is all very touching and everything," Marista said, rolling her eyes, "but there're too many fuzzy feelings floating around to satisfy me."

"I'll just leave this to the three of you," Xellos said graciously. "I'm gone." He disappeared.

"Some help he was," muttered Score.

"That's what he's like," Helaine said, shrugging. "Besides, he saved my life."

"_Flare Arrow!_"

"What kind of spell is that?" yelped Score.

"_Freeze Arrow!_" Helaine countered, canceling out Marista's spell. "Help me out, guys!"

Score gritted his teeth and clutched his amethyst in his fist. Muttering under his breath, they watched as the bracelets around Marista's wrists shrank and tightened, cutting off the circulation in her hands. 

"Good job," Helaine said, nodding. "Without the use of her hands, she can't cast magic."

"Got a plan?"

"Now that she's helpless?" Helaine nodded and pointed her Staff at Marista. "Time to go. _Drawfor hsalf_."

"I will not lose!" shrieked Marista. "You Guardians will pay for --!" Her screams were cut off as she was encased in the Sapphire. 

Helaine deactivated her armor and sagged against Score. "Guys, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Wake me up in a couple days," she murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

Wearily Helaine opened her eyes. "What day is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Wednesday," replied Score. "You've been asleep for about two days."

Helaine turned her head to look at him. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed, a book in his hand and a relieved expression on his face. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Uh, not long."

"Every minute since you collapsed, save dinnertime," Pixel said, coming into the room with a glass of water. "Here. You look thirsty."

Helaine yawned and took the glass gratefully. "Thanks, guys. How's Thunder and the rest of the herd? How's Flame?"

"They're fine," replied Score. "Flame's been worried about you, and Nova's recovering nicely. That healing spell you used really worked."

Helaine nodded. "Healing's not the Sapphire specialty, but I can do it okay."

"What is the Sapphire specialty?" asked Pixel.

"Unless you can't tell us," Score quickly interjected.

Helaine laughed. "I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything. But it could take awhile."

"We've got all the time in the world," Score promised.

Not as much as you think, Score, Helaine thought. But that's for another day.

Epilogue

So now I don't have to keep secrets from Score and Pixel. It was a relief that Xellos showed up when he did – and I was really glad to get some sleep after night after night of insomnia.

Now if I can just tell Score my _other_ secret . . . 

So, what do you think? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Should I write another Sapphire Saga story? Let me know! Meanwhile, scroll down for a preview:

Next time on:

THE SAPPHIRE SAGA

Chamber of Horrors

Score, Helaine, and Pixel have been practically inseparable ever since they were first forced on their adventures by the Shadows. They've gone to several different worlds making things right in the Diadem – but never have they encountered a problem in their _very own home!_

This isn't a normal problem, though. At first they think it's just another pushy magic-user trying to cause them trouble. But then Helaine realizes too late that this is just another event in the chain-reaction leading to the final showdown between Darkstar and Guardian . . . 


	6. The Moon Terror

Astral Dancer – The Untold Stories

Astral Dancer – The Untold Stories

Part 1: The Moon Terror

Phase onE – THE NEW MOON

Cataluna Anyaerica Carruthers looked around at the carnage that surrounded her. She knew she looked nearly as bad as her warriors. Her normally auburn hair was even darker with soaked blood, and her clothes were tattered and torn. They'd been at war for nearly thirteen hours now. Thirteen. The magic number. 

And now it was over. 

It was finally over. 

Injured, and beyond help, the 63rd Astral Dancer pressed herself up against the broken wall of what had once been the Diamond Lair. The once majestic estate which had been a safe haven for her since receiving her powers had been reduced to rubble. Beyond it, she could see the smoking shell of Obsidian, Onyx, and Ruby. Jasper's shield still held, but it didn't matter. The Jasper Guardian and his Dimension were gone, and the only way to restore them was to defeat the Darkstars. 

But that wouldn't be happening. At the start of the battle, the Astral Council had attempted to give the Pro-AD Guardians a chance to turn over to their side. Cat and her friends had refused. And when the Council once again demanded allegiance, the leader of the Darkstars, Lothos, had destroyed them. They didn't want a way out. They wanted bloodshed. 

It was this cold, ruthless act that had caused the remaining Guardians, the Supporters, to turn away from the Darkstars. But their support had been too little, too late. And Cat had been forced to watch as one by one, the closest friends she'd ever made were destroyed.

Marco Sinclair. In a last ditch attempt to take out Lothos, he'd unleashed the dreaded Emerald Destruction. He hadn't been as lucky to survive the backlash as he had been previously, and his sacrifice had been in vain as well. Lothos was unscathed.

Brooklyn. The young Leopardstone Guardian had declined the fighting and instead concentrated on healing his fellow fighters. When Helaine Votrin had thrown herself in front of him to prevent him for being attacked, she'd very nearly lost her life. Having already been healed from a mortal wound once, Brooklyn chose instead to use his lifeforce to power her. The new strength had allowed Helaine to continue fighting and survive the slaughter, but Brooklyn would never live again.

Kelsey DeWitt. Having recovered from her stasis lock, she had used up all her power to keep a protective shield around Cat, allowing her to go one-on-one with Lothos. But the shield had failed, and Lothos had overpowered her. Which left her where she was.

There were others who died as well. Amara. Elena. Lucas. Sid. Had Kyra survived? Had Koushiro? She didn't know.

A lump formed in her throat and she forced herself not to cry. _Vincent_. 

Vincent Valentine was a considerably new Guardian, but as the Ruby he was one of the most powerful. And she had felt a connection to him, a connection she'd never had with anyone else. He had thrown himself in front of the blast that should have taken Xellos Metallium's life, and instead had given his. The irony of it was that both men competed for Cat's affection and couldn't stand each other, but Vincent had been willing to give it all up so that Cat wouldn't have to go through the pain of losing her best friend. _But now I have to go through the pain of losing you_, she thought. 

Lothos was speaking now. 

"Guardians!" he shouted. "As of now, you have two choices. The first – give up your jewels to us and return to your dimensions with your lives. The second – continue to fight and die in the attempt."

"Forget it!" Cat's head snapped up at Kyra's angry statement. She was alive! And beside her, looking like he'd been to hell and back, but very alive, was Koushiro. "We're not going to give up just like that!" 

"Your Astral Dancer is dead," snarled Lothos. "More than half of your force is dead. And you think you can survive this?"

A hand landed on Cat's shoulder. "Don't say anything," Xellos whispered. "Let them think you're dead."

She barely had the strength to look at him. "Xellos . . ." she said weakly. 

"You'll survive this, Cat," he said, wrapping his arms around her gently. "Come on. We're going home." He placed both the Obsidian and the Diamond in his pocket. 

"Wait." She turned back to the scene before her. Kyra was ready to fight. *_Kyra. Koushiro. My friends*_, she whispered. *_If there's one thing I realized in this fight, it's that nothing is ever over. This battle may have been lost, but the war hasn't ended. We will get another chance. But we can't take these chances unless we're around to take them. Do as Lothos says. Give him your Jewels. There will be another day. For now, let's walk away from this with our heads held high._

*And if I cannot return to lead you, my friends, then the next Astral Dancer will carry on my fight.*

Her strength spent, she disconnected the link with her Guardians and fell back against Xellos. Xellos thanked the Lord of Nightmares again for the powers of a Mazoku, and the two of them disappeared.

The Darkstars never suspected a thing. 

__

Nine months later

A scream pierced the night sky of the center planet of the Obsidian Dimension. It didn't alarm Xellos Metallium, but it did make him pick up his pace. One minute, he'd been lounging around Wolf Pack Island, waiting for Zelas' latest orders, and the next he'd gotten the call he'd been waiting for these past months. Ever since shortly after the War of 63. 

Catching sight of the smallish cabin, he killed his speed and landed nimbly on the ground. Then he ran straight for the door, throwing it open and running through it at the same time. It didn't even occur to him that he could've just phased right it. He did, of course, have more important things on his mind. 

"Calm down, Xellos," Lina Inverse said, looking at him strangely. "Jeez, you'd think _you_ were the one in labor or something."

"How is she?" Xellos asked breathlessly, looking at the group assembled around him. Ever since his Guardianship had become public knowledge, he'd been amazed at the support the group had given him. Even Zelas, who's wrath he'd been the most afraid of, had rallied around him. 

At that moment, Amelia stepped out of the bedroom just as another scream pierced the air. Inside, they could hear Filia trying to soothe the distraught mother-to-be. Xellos repeated his question to her, and the Seyruun princess looked grim. 

"It's not going too well," she replied softly. "It seems that there are a few more complications than Miss Filia originally anticipated. The first was born five minutes ago, but there's another on the way."

Xellos stared at her in shock. _Twins? Cat's having twins? My God. _While he knew that other dimensions, such as the one Cat was originally from, could easily deal with twin births, the Obsidian wasn't as technologically advanced. Even magic had a hard time making it easier. Often, at least one of the babies didn't survive. "How's the baby?"

Here Amelia smiled. "A beautiful, if a little small, girl. She's already got a full head of hair – her father's – and her eyes are as green as Miss Cat's. And the minute she stopped crying after being born she fell asleep."

"Is she healthy?" Xellos prayed she was. If so, then this child could be the salvation they were looking for.

"Perfectly," Amelia replied. She glanced back at the door. "I better get back in there. I'll let you know when the other is born." She smiled encouragingly at Xellos, then darted back into the bedroom. 

Ten minutes later, they heard the sound of a second wailing, obviously from a baby. It stopped shortly after, and then everything was silent. Another five minutes went by before Filia and Amelia both exited. Filia, who herself was heavy with child, looked at Xellos. "You better get in there," she said, biting her lip. "She wants to talk to you."

Something was wrong. He could feel it. Xellos was up and in the bedroom in a flash, closing the door tight behind him. "Cat?" he whispered. 

She looked up at him from the bed, her pale face even paler than usually. But what shook him was her hair. A white streak was visible running down the middle of the auburn tresses. A sure sign of power exhaustion if he had ever seen it. Then he noticed the bundle of blankets she held in her arms. "My daughter," she said weakly, looking at the tiny bassinet next to her bed. "Could you get her?"

Xellos stepped over to the bassinet and stared at the small human in there. She stared up at him with slightly Asian eyes, only green rather than black. Already hair was visible on her head, as black as the man's who had helped give her life. She was perfectly calm and didn't protest when he lifted her out of the bassinet and carried her to her mother. 

He sat on the bed next to Cat and looked at the other baby. This one a boy, with lighter hair than his sister. Xellos suspected it would one day be auburn, or a very dark brown. But what startled him where the eyes. Neither green nor red, but dark blue, almost purple. He looked at Cat for an explanation.

"Before his curse," Cat said, smiling at her son, "Vincent's eyes were that color. It seems fitting that they be passed on to his son." She bit her lip and blinked away tears. "If only he could've lived to see his children. Or to even know that he would _have_ children. He didn't think it was possible, you know."

Xellos smiled gently at his best friend. "There you go again, proving everyone wrong." He sounded choked up, but he didn't know why. He held up the girl so that her mother could see her. "I predict she'll grow up to be as beautiful as you."

Cat turned her head so that she could see her. "Promise me," she said, never taking her gaze away from the small child. "Keep them safe, Xellos. If _they_ ever found out . . ."

"We'll both keep them safe," Xellos said. "You and me, Cat. We'll make Vincent proud."

Cat just stared at her daughter, then at her son. "Irvine Vincent," she said, naming the boy, "and Teraluna Catvictoria Valentine." A tear began to trickle down her cheek. "May the Darkstars tremble at last – the Moon Terror has been born."

Xellos chuckled at the words, then noticed that the room had become painfully silent. "Cat?" he whispered, looking away from Teraluna and focusing on her. "Cat?"

Irvine reached a hand for his mother, unable to understand why she was so still. 

And for the first time in his life, Xellos Metallium began to cry. 

__

From the journal of Xellos Metallium, 63rd Obsidian Guardian

It's been almost three weeks since Cat died. Filia's almost to full term, and recently Sylphiel determined that she's going to have twins, just like Cat. I can't help but feel a little fear for her. 

I finally got up the courage to go through Cat's things – the few items she's saved from the War, and the ones she's collected while living here with Filia and myself. Up until yesterday, I'd actually been scared to look through it. Almost like I was afraid that the moment I did, Cat's death would be . . . real. 

L-sama, I still have a hard time believing it. She survived the War of 63 and everything Lothos threw at her, only to have it end on what should have been the happiest moment of her life. 

Anyway.

Cat had never been much of a material person. Most of the things she cherished were people and memories. I guess that comes from living in the Emerald Dimension for the first fourteen years of her life. There wasn't much. Her cloak and dagger, the crossbow Vincent gave her, her wedding ring, a locket with a picture of Vincent on one side and Koushiro on the other, and the Diamond. There isn't much power left in the gemstone now that the Darkstars have control of the Astral Plane, just like there isn't much power left in the Obsidian, but Cat still cherished it. That gemstone came through for her so many times, I don't blame her at all. 

I'm not going to get rid of any of it. Those were the only things that Cat possessed, and they're going right where they belong. I've already placed them in a magic-proof trunk on Wolf Pack Island, and I'll give it to Teraluna and Irvine when they're old enough to appreciate them. Cat would've wanted it that way. 

Speaking of Tera and Irvy, as Filia and Amelia have dubbed them, the twins are growing in leaps and bounds. They're already a month old, and already they're very advanced for their ages. You can almost see their parents in them. Tera's a lot like her father – quiet and reserved, and would usually rather be alone then in a crowd of people. Irvine, on the other hand, looks for attention. You can't walk by him without him crying, and then you just have_ to pick him up. Kids have never been my forte, but you can't help loving these two. Filia and I have sort of 'adopted' them, and we're trying to raise them the way we think Cat and Vincent would've. _

Oops. Fi-chan's visiting friends, and there's someone at the door. More later.

Twelve hours later . . . I think

I can't think straight. I can't even write_ straight, it seems. L-sama, why? Why does this have to happen _now?

__

I know why. Because Cat was the Astral Dancer, Vincent was the Ruby Guardian, and I'm the Obsidian Guardian.

Luna Inverse, the Knight of Ceipheed, was at the door. She came as quickly as she could to warn me. Several high-power beings in our Dimension have been keeping tabs on the Darkstars, and something very disturbing has been happening.

Guardians who had survived the war, and prospective Guardians who should've received the gemstones after their predecessors have died. Murdered. By the Darkstars. 

It's only a matter of time before they realize that I'm alive. Cat and I both managed to escape undetected, and the official word is that we're 'Missing-In-Action', since our bodies were never recovered. My master and the other high powers have done a good job of concealing my presence, but they can't do it forever. They'll find me. And when they do, they'll find Irvine and Tera.

They can't know. There is no way those foul creatures can know that they are the children of the most powerful Guardian and the most feared to date Astral Dancer. And Lothos would most certainly kill them. 

There's only one thing I can do. I have to split up the twins. It's the only way to protect their identities. 

I've made arrangements with someone in the Ruby Dimension. I don't dare disclose his name here. The Ruby runs on a different time-clock then Obsidian, and several years have already passed there since the War. This person has agreed to take Irvine and care for him. His wife runs an orphanage, and considering they just had a war, it'll be easy to pass the boy off as an orphan of that war. Tera will continue to live here with Filia and myself until she's old enough to defend herself. Then we'll see from there. 

I fear for these children. 

L-sama, please let them stay safe. 

Phase two – THE QUARTER MOON

"Zephyus! Zephyus, wait for me! Come on, this isn't fair – you know I can't keep up with you when you fly!"

Zephyus Metallium smirked at his best friend for the last eight years of his life – okay, the only eight years of his life – as she desperately tried to keep up with him. Her long black hair streamed out behind her, and her green eyes were pleading with him to slow down. "If you can't keep up, Tera, you should've stayed home!" But he relented and landed nimbly on the ground.

Tera caught up with him, barely winded but obviously annoyed. "Stay home? With Zenya? You're kidding."

"Hey, hey, watch it," warned Zephyus. "I know my sister's a deranged, homicidal maniac, but she can't help her lineage." He pushed his blond bangs out of his face. "At least you're an only child."

Tera rolled her eyes. "I'm an orphan, plain and simple. And I'm sick and tired of your father dodging my questions all the time. All I want is to know something about my mother. I don't even have a picture of her!"

"Sometimes things are best left unknown," Zephyus said. He glanced at the sun. "Come on. It's almost noon, and Aunt Lina isn't going to wait for us forever. If we don't get there now, all the food will be gone!" 

Eight years had gone by since Cat's death, and Teraluna Catvictoria Valentine, though still unaware of her lineage, was growing to be more and more like her mother everyday. Although with a much quieter personality. Her best friend, Zephyus Metallium, and his sister Zenya were the children of Xellos Metallium and Filia Ul Copt-Metallium. For his own safety, Xellos had left the Mazoku race to make it harder for the Darkstars to locate himself and his family. It had meant giving up a good deal of power, but it was what had been necessary. Zelas still kept a watchful eye on her former priest/general, but she no longer called on him to do her every whim. 

When Zephyus and Tera reached the Greywords house, they were thrilled to discover that there was still plenty of food left. "Sorry we're late!" Tera called. "We both slept in!" 

Lina smiled at the two kids. "Don't worry, we made extra," she said. "Or, rather, Zelgadis made extra."

"Yeah. Everyone knows Mom can't cook worth anything," nine-year-old Graeme Greywords said, glancing at his mother. 

Lina glared at her only son, then tugged a lock of his red hair. "Watch it, young man, or I won't teach you any more magic for a month." 

Zelina, Graeme's eight year-old sister, giggled. Then leaned across the table, towards Tera and their friend Cassia. "Graeme's trying to get Mama to teach him the Dragon Slave," she stage-whispered. "He's been trying to stay on her good side."

Tera looked impressed. "The Dragon Slave, huh? Is he ready for it?" 

"Of course Graeme's ready for it," eight-year-old Cassia Wil Dani Seyruun said. "Graeme's the fastest learner out of all of us."

"Thank you, thank you," Graeme said through a mouthful of food.

"Say it, don't spray it," snapped Valteirra de Seyruun, Cassia's ten-year-old brother. Terry shook his head when Graeme stuck his tongue out at him, then turned to Zephyus. "Where's Zen?" 

Zephyus groaned inwardly. His best friend had had a crush on his sister since they were born, it seemed, and it was really annoying. "She's coming with Mom and Dad," he replied. "They're bringing more food."

As if on cue, Filia, Xellos, and Zenya walked into the backyard carrying a tray of pastries and, of course, tea. Terry immediately pulled up a chair – the only remaining chair – for Zenya. The half-Mazoku girl tossed her long violet hair of her shoulder and sat down. Without another word, she started in on the food. 

Lina walked over to Filia and Xellos. "I wasn't sure if you two were coming," she said. "Still laying low?"

Xellos nodded, looking tired and twice his age. "Has your sister told you anything?" he asked the sorceress.

Lina shook her head. "No. I haven't heard from Luna in almost six months. Maybe Valgaav's heard something. He's inside with Amelia and Zelgadis."

"I know," Xellos replied, "I talked to him before I came out here. He hasn't heard anything either."

Filia changed the subject then, and Xellos turned his attention to his children. Out of Zephyus, Zenya, and Tera, it was his son and foster daughter that he worried about the most. At the moment of their births, destiny had indeed played them a cruel hand. When the Darkstars did arrive – and Xellos knew in his heart that they would – they would have two options: fight, or die. 

__

The Diamond Catechism – formerly Diamond Lair

A bright hologram was suspended in the air, in front of huge, ornately carved throne. Several dimensions were visible on the model, and within each were several universes, and several galaxies within those, and solar systems within those, and planets within those, and so on and so on. Right now, the star map was focused on the former Garnet Dimension. 

A red light blinking on the map of the Garnet's version of Earth suddenly went out. 

Lothos Devierre smiled. "That's another one down," he said to himself. "Those damn Pro-AD Guardians are such a nuisance. And so naïve, too – to think they actually believed I'd let them live after they surrendered."

"Lord Lothos?"

Lothos turned away from his model to focus on his second-in-command. "What is it, Seazar?"

Seazar, a former doppleganger with a nasty disposition, stepped forward. "I believe I have the news that you have been waiting for, my liege."

Lothos sat up. "Well?"

Seazar grinned in anticipation, then handed Lothos a disk. "The location of your cousin – Xellos Metallium."

Lothos took the disk and looked at it like it was the most valuable item in the astral plane. "You've done well, Seazar," he whispered. "You shall be well rewarded. But it will be I who will crush that damn Mazoku.

"Make no mistake about that."

Xellos sat before the fire, just staring at the flames. Staring like he'd done since leaving the Mazoku race. 

"Xellos," Filia said, leaning on the back of his chair. "Namagomi, come to bed. It's late, and the children are already asleep." She ran her hand through his short violet hair. "Don't do this. Not now."

Her husband reached up and took her hand in his. "Something's wrong, Filia," he whispered. "The astral plane – it's trying to warn me." He closed his eyes, then opened them again. "Get the items."

Filia pulled back from him. "Now? But . . ."

"Do it, Filia," Xellos replied, standing up. He picked his Mazoku staff up from where it leaned against his chair. "Take it and get out of here. Take Zenya, Zephyus, and Tera, and leave."

"No," the golden dragon said stubbornly. He turned to face her.

"Don't argue, Filia."

"Xellos, I've risked everything to be with you," she said, walking towards him and looking him straight in the eye. "I gave up everything. My family, my species, my entire life. I'm not going to lose you now." 

Xellos looked at her. Then, quickly, he reached out and pulled her into a fierce embrace. "I've given up just as much," he whispered, pressing his face into her hair. "But I refuse to let my family suffer because of my past. Take the box, take the children, and leave. There's no time to lose." He pulled back slightly and kissed her. "I love you, Fi-chan."

"I love you, too, you stupid Namagomi," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Be careful."

"Always," he replied, wiping away a fresh tear. "Now go."

Filia turned away from him and walked over to a small trapdoor in the floor. Reaching in, she removed a small cedar box with a magical seal engraved on it. After that, she pulled out a cloth bundle. Then, with Xellos following behind her, she entered the room where her children slept. Her three children. Perhaps not by blood, but by circumstance. And she loved each other them. 

"Zen, Zeph," she whispered to the twins. "Come on. We're going out for a bit."

"Aunt Filia?" Tera sat up in her bed. She was wide awake. "Something bad's going to happen, right?"

As the other two groggily sat up and looked at their mother questionably, Tera turned her attention to Xellos. "I . . . I had a dream," she said to him. "Someone – he looked just like you, only . . . I don't know. But he came. Tonight." She started to shake. "Uncle Xellos? What's going on?"

Xellos walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "Nothing you have to worry about," he said softly. "Go with Filia. She's going to take you to Seyruun. You'll be okay there. You won't have to worry about the man who looks like me."

"What about you, Father?" Zephyus asked. "Are you coming with us?"

"I'll see you as soon as I can," Xellos promised, hugging both of his children. "Be good for your mother. And don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Daddy, come with us," pleaded Zenya, tugging on his shirt. 

Xellos looked at Filia, who nodded. She tucked the box and bundle in the folds of her skirt, then pulled all three towards her. "Sleep," she whispered. When the spell had taken effect, the four of them vanished in a soft golden light. 

Xellos stood up and walked back into the main room. _She's already having visions_, he thought. _Take care of them, Filia_.

"Hello, Xellos."

Xellos Metallium froze, and looked at the person standing in the middle of the living room. "You," he said. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Lothos Devierre smirked at his cousin. "Where's Cataluna Anyaerica Carruthers?"

Xellos swallowed. He knew he could never lie to his cousin. "She's dead," he replied. "For the last eight years." 

Lothos stared at him long and hard. "You're telling the truth," he said, nodding. "Then tell me another thing. How did she die?"

And there was the question he could never answer. Never, not in a million years. Struggling against the control his cousin had over him, he replied, "Sore wa himitsu desu."

Lothos narrowed his eyes. "You _will_ answer --!" 

"_Ra Tilt_," whispered Xellos. As a Mazoku, it was impossible to unleash that spell. 

As the Obsidian Guardian, it was easier than breathing.

Xellos closed his eyes as the spell tore through his body, using up the last of his strength. As he felt himself begin to fade, to be taken away to that place where every Guardian goes after their reign ends, he forced himself to stare through his now-white bangs and watch Lothos,

Did he have any idea? Any idea of what Xellos had been planning? 

Judging from the triumphant smirk on his face, no.

__

I'm sorry, Zephyus, he whispered.

And Xellos Metallium, 63rd Obsidian Guardian, died. 

__

Sunrise

"NOOOOO!" screamed Zenya as she watched the house she had grown up in burst into flames. "DAAAAAADDDDYYYYYY!" 

Filia pulled her daughter towards her and held her tightly, staring at the smoldering building. It didn't hurt nearly as much for her, seeing her house destroyed like that. She knew that Xellos hadn't been alive when it had happened. Months earlier, he'd told her what he would do should his cousin ever come calling. Xellos was the type of person who would rather die than give away anything that would endanger his family

She looked at Zephyus and Tera, who stood silently next to each other. They, too, were watching the fire. But she couldn't tell what they were thinking. That wasn't unusual for Tera – the young girl often kept her feelings to herself. But it was scary seeing her own son like that. That they were holding hands was the only sign of any emotion they were showing. They were giving each other the strength to not breakdown.

Filia reached into her pocket and removed the small box she'd taken from the house. In it, she knew that two gemstones lay in the velvet lining. The Diamond and the Obsidian. Neither had substantial power anymore, now that the astral plane belonged to the Darkstars. She wasn't even sure why Xellos insisted she take them. If they were useless, what was the point? 

But Xellos had been the Obsidian Guardian. He knew more about this stuff than she ever would. Slipping the box back into her pocket, she stood up and wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes. "Come on," she said softly, taking Zenya's hand and reaching out another to her son. "It's time to move on."

Zephyus silently took his mother's hand, but didn't move until she tugged on it gently. Tera followed quietly, never releasing her grip on Zephyus. 

__

It came true, she thought miserably. _My dream came true. Again._

Phase three – THE HALF MOON

"_Flare Arrow!_"

KA-BOOM!

"Hey, watch where you're aiming those things!" Thirteen-year-old Valtierra de Seyruun walked into the courtyard, glaring at the twelve-year-old in front of him and brushing back a piece of singed hair. "You're getting pretty dangerous with those things."

"Reckless is more like it," Zenya said, appearing out of nowhere and sliding an arm through Terry's. 

"Oh, shut up." Tera stretched luxuriously and glared at her foster sister. "I don't see you practicing your magic."

Zenya glanced away, her violet hair falling in her face. "You know I'm not interested in learning magic anymore, Tera," she said softly. 

Tera immediately wished she hadn't said anything. Shortly after Xellos' death, Zenya had fallen into a deep depression that she'd only come out of two years later. Since then, she'd refused to further her magic studies or figure out how to enhance her Mazoku abilities, despite Zelas' urgings. One good thing had come out of her recovery, however – she was no longer the little annoying brat that everyone disliked. Now she was more a part of the group, and had bonded with Terry's younger sister, Cassia. And, of course, Terry. Tera wasn't sure who'd been shocked more, Zephyus or Valtierra, when Zenya began to return the latter's affections. 

"Speaking of practice," Terry said after a minute or two of silence, "Zephyus was looking for you earlier, Tera. Something about meeting him outside the city for sparring."

Tera's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. "I completely forgot! Thanks, Terry!" She pulled the hood of her cloak up. "_Ray Wing!_" 

Zenya and Terry watched as she flew off. "There's something about her that puzzles me," Zenya muttered.

He looked at her with interest. "Oh?"

"Tera was around before Zephyus and I were born," Zenya said, narrowing her eyes. "And Mom won't tell any of us about where she came from, and why she and Dad took her in."

Terry smoothed back her hair and smiled at her. "I'm sure if your mother wants you to know, she'll tell you. But right now, we're supposed to be meeting Graeme and Cass in town. And you know how those two hate to be kept waiting."

Zephyus glanced impatiently up at the sky again. _Where is she? God, that girl is always late. I can't wait here all day! _

"Sorry!" Tera shouted as she landed easily in the field. "I lost all track of time. It's a good thing you talked to Terry, or I never would've remembered!"

Zephyus grinned at his best friend. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked. He casually blew a piece of unruly blond hair out of his eyes. "I hope you're ready, because I'm not going to go easy on you." He held up his hands, ready to defend against anything she might throw at him.

"Rules of the game," Tera replied. "Skin only. No weapons, no magic. First to break that rule allows the other to do so as well, no consequences. Match is over when one either forfeits, or falls unconscious. Got it?"

Zephyus nodded. "Got it."

"Hiiiyaaa!" Tera cried, lunging for the half-dragon. She threw a straight punch for his face, which he easily blocked, and then ducked under his arm as he attempted to mirror the same move. Leaping nimbly in the air, she twisted around and landed on her hands, absorbing the impact. She swept her leg around to try and knock Zephyus off his feet, but Zephyus easily stepped out of the way. Then, faster than she could see, he was behind her and wrapping his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side. 

"Hey, no fair!" she shouted, struggling. "Let me go!" 

Zephyus chuckled in her air. "I don't think so," he murmured. "I've got you now, little girl."

"I'm four months older than you, Zeph, now _let me go!_" she hissed. But she stopped struggling, and instead just leaned into his arms. "Phew, I'm tired. And that wasn't a very long match, either."

"About five minutes," agreed Zephyus. "Ready to head back?"

Tera shook her head. "Nah. We've got time to kill before dinner. Let's rest for a minute. Then we can start up again. And no more of this sneaking up behind me crap. That's not fair and you know it. Agreed?"

Zephyus just smirked. "Sore wa –"

"Don't even think about it."

A shadowed figure watched from atop a cliff overlooking the field. _So that's him_, he thought. _That's the one with astral energy. He certainly looks like that annoying Mazoku. Lord Lothos will be very pleased. _The Darkstar brushed his white hair out of his eyes. _Very pleased, indeed. _

"Hey, did you hear something?" Tera asked suddenly, looking around. 

Zephyus frowned. "Yeah. Sort of." 

The two of them looked up towards the cliff, but Seazar had already disappeared. 

It was late by the time Zephyus and Tera finally headed back to Seyruun. Both thoroughly exhausted from practicing, they opted to walk rather than fly. Zephyus was more tired than Tera, so he couldn't even transform into a dragon and give her a lift. 

"Hey, Tera?" he asked suddenly, stopping in the middle of the road. "You get the feeling that we're being followed?"

Tera frowned and nodded uncertainly. "Actually, yes. I've been getting that feeling for awhile now. 

They looked at each other nervously. 

Something moved behind them. 

Zephyus shoved Tera out of the way as a huge claw came out of nowhere and pierced the ground in front of them. He leaped over it as it attempted to move backwards and cut into his body, and he landed easily next to his friend. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean to push you so hard."

"I'd rather be bruised than dead," Tera assured him. "What is that thing?"

The black claw just sat there in the middle of the road. "It isn't moving," whispered Zephyus. 

"I know," Tera whispered back. 

Suddenly the claw pulled itself out of the ground and raced towards them. A small opening appeared in its palm. "DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" howled a raspy voice from the opening. 

Tera and Zephyus both gasped and froze, completely shocked at what they were seeing. A claw with no visible body had a mouth? That was impossible . . . 

"_RA TILT!_" 

The powerful astral spell slammed into the creature, and it disintegrated. 

Zelgadis and Valgaav ran towards them and helped them up. "Let's get you back home," Zelgadis said, frowning. He glanced at Valgaav. "It's happening again."

The Ancient Dragon nodded grimly. 

Filia sighed and looked at her son and adopted daughter. Both teenagers were sitting silently in the kitchen, staring at the countertop. Neither of them seemed to be willing to talk about what had happened. Filia had been shocked when Zelgadis and Valgaav had told her what had happened, but hadn't been too surprised. She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon, and like it did. 

"Zephyus," Filia said, "Tera." They looked up at her. 

"Konnichiwa, Filia," Tera said softly. "You wanted to talk to us?"

Filia nodded and motioned for them to follow her. She led them into her bedroom, and closed the door behind her. "I need to tell you both something, something very important. Do you remember when Xellos died?"

"Like we could forget, Mother, we were there," Zephyus said bitterly. He didn't like to be reminded of his father. "He died in an explosion."

"Yes," Filia said, reaching into her dresser drawer and removing a small wooden box. "But it was an explosion he caused."

Both of them looked at her with questions in their eyes. 

"The creature you saw today was, in all probability, a Darkstar. The Darkstars are a race similar to the Mazoku, but broke off them several millennia ago. The two species hate each other with a passion." Filia fingered the design on the wooden box. "The Darkstars exist in astral lifeforms, and as such can not be defeated by normal weaponry or sorcery. To regulate their threat, a Council was created of beings with high astral powers. But this Astral Council was confined to a small pocket dimension, and was unable to do anything to stop them. So they created a servant of sorts – the Astral Dancer. And she, in turn, created a Guardian for each of the several hundred Dimensions that existed. This is the Obsidian Dimension.

"The last Astral Dancer was Cataluna Anyaerica Carruthers. Your father, Zephyus, knew her better than I did. She turned against the Council when they betrayed her, and discovered that they had made a deal with the Darkstars. But in return, the Darkstars betrayed the Council, and destroyed them all. Then they staged an all-out war on the Astral Dancer and her Guardians. Xellos was one of them. 

"After the war, which resulted in the deaths of many Guardians, Xellos and Cat retreated here. Nine months later, Cat died giving birth to a daughter." Filia looked at Tera. "That daughter was you, Teraluna Catvictoria Valentine."

Tera's eyes widened. "M-me?" she stammered.

Filia nodded. "Yes," she said. "You. You are the daughter of the 63rd Astral Dancer, and the rightful owner of this." She opened the wooden box and removed a brilliant diamond. "This Diamond was your mother's power source – it enabled her to use the powers of the Astral Dancer. But now that the Darkstars have control over the astral plane, there's hardly enough power left in it. Perhaps enough to transport you to another dimension."

Tera blinked. "To another . . . are you saying you want me to leave, Filia?"

"No way!" Zephyus burst out. "Why, Mother? Why does Tera have to leave?"

"We must get her back into hiding before the Darkstars realize who she is," Filia replied. "You were not the intended target this time, from what I gather. Zephyus was."

Now it was Zephyus' turn to stammer. "But what would these things want with me?"

"Because you are the oldest child of Xellos Metallium," Filia said. "You and Zenya may be twins, but you were born twenty minutes earlier. You are the 64th Obsidian Guardian. The day Xellos died, he left you a legacy, Zephyus. The Obsidian," here she removed the second gemstone from the box and handed it to her son, "belongs to you."

Tera stared at the Diamond. "Filia," she asked, "what about my father? Do you know?"

Filia sighed. "I never met him personally, but your father was the 63rd Ruby Guardian, Vincent Valentine. He died during the War of 63, the day after your parents were wed. He never knew he was going to be a father."

"I see." The young Astral Dancer stared at the floor. "So you're saying that I have to go to another dimension and hide out, are you? Just let these Darkstars continue doing what they're doing, and hope they don't realize who I am?"

"Until you can claim your full power, yes," Filia replied. "Zephyus, Xellos kept a journal. It's on Wolf Pack Island at this moment, but in it, he wrote about a power similar to the astral powers, but stronger. Supposedly, it was created by the same high powers that created the original gemstones for the Guardians. You must go to Wolf Pack Island, retrieve this journal, and find this new power. It will be enough to drive the Darkstars out of the astral plane.

"Tera, the Diamond will take you to another dimension when you ask it to. Take it, and focus. I can't tell you where you'll end up, but let's hope that it's a place where there is another Guardian that you can team up with. Darkstars have been destroying Guardians and their successors, so I hope you're able to find someone. You'll be on your own, however." Suddenly Filia snapped her fingers. "But before you go, there's something else I have to give to you."

Filia stood up and went over to her closet, where she removed an object wrapped in a black cloth. She handed it to Tera, who unwrapped it slowly.

It was a crossbow, made of smooth, dark wood and a strong metal. Turquoise and amethyst diamonds lined the sides of it, and handcrafted bolts were already loaded into it. Also nestled in the cloth was a small quiver of bolts, designed to be attached to the shooter's hip. "It was given to your mother by your father," Filia said. "Tera, I'm asking you to follow your destiny and free the astral plane from the Darkstars' hold. We've been living in terror and fear ever since they came into power, and you're our last hope. Both of you. Will you go, Tera? Will you follow the path your mother has laid out for you?"

Tera looked up from the crossbow. Slowly, she took the Diamond from Filia's hand. "What choice do I have?" she whispered. "I'll do it."

Zephyus nodded as well. "I guess I'm up for it," he said, looking at the Obsidian. "Wolf Pack Island, huh? Shouldn't be too hard."

"When do I leave?" Tera asked. 

Filia sighed. "As soon as possible."

Tera stood in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the Diamond in her hand. _Mother_, she thought, _now that I know the truth, now that I know what my dreams have been trying to tell me – I _will_ follow the path you have laid out for me. I will live up to your hopes for me. _

"Are you ready, Tera?" Filia asked, looking at her adopted daughter.

Tera nodded. Then, quickly, she spun around and threw her arms around the golden dragon. "No matter what," she said, her words muffled as her face pressed against Filia's dress, "you'll always be my family, Aunt Filia."

Filia wrapped her arms around the young girl. "You've been like a daughter to me," she whispered. "Do your mother proud, Teraluna Catvictoria Valentine. I know that she had great things planned for you."

She drew in a deep breath and stepped away from Filia. Then she noticed Zenya and Zephyus, both standing slightly off to the sides. "You two take care of each other, okay?" she asked, looking at them. "I'll be back someday. I promise."

Zephyus managed a crooked smile. "Yeah, I know. Just . . . don't take too long."

Zenya looked a little downcast. "I know you and I have never seen eye to eye, Tera, but . . ."

"I know," Tera said simply. There were no words to express the bond that had formed between the two girls, simply by them being what they were. _You're my sister, Zenya, as much as Zephyus is my brother and Filia my mother. But I now know that I have a true family out there, and a destiny that they've left me. _She turned back to Filia. "I'm ready."

"Then take the Diamond into your hands, and think of safety," Filia said. "Transmit your desires to the Diamond, whether you're aware of them or not. Then speak its true name, and may the gods protect you."

Tera grasped the gemstone in her hands and closed her eyes. _Safety. A place where I can belong. A place where I won't be alone. _"Diamond," she whispered.

There was a flash of light, so bright that everyone was forced to cover their eyes. Everyone except for Zephyus. He stared into the brightness and watched as his best friend faded away. 

Suddenly, familiar words, and yet unfamiliar at the same time, crept into his mind. It wasn't in his own voice, either, but rather, a voice of the past. 

__

*May the Darkstars tremble at last – the Moon Terror has been born.*

__


End file.
